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Articles
Sea Briefs is a report on the results of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. Editor: Melissa Schneider This newsletter is available in PDF
format from: MASGC supports applied, interdisciplinary marine science research, education and outreach efforts to foster the sustainable development and management of the Mississippi and Alabama coasts and nearshore ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico Mississippi-Alabama
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Farm raises boutique oysters PROJECT SHOWS BUSINESS POTENTIAL FOR OYSTER GROWERS If Steve Crockett’s oyster farm in Bayou La Batre is any indication, oyster farms could create jobs in the Gulf of Mexico by offering boutique oysters to the half-shell market. Oysters destined for the premium niche markets are growing by the thousands in Steve Crockett’s back yard in Bayou La Batre on Grand Bay. His 1-acre Alabama oyster farm business also serves as a demonstration and research site. Working with scientists from Auburn University, including Aquaculture and Fisheries Specialist Bill Walton, in a Sea Grant-funded project, Crockett is evaluating different types of off-bottom oyster-growing methods and determining the feasibility of oyster farms in the region. Similar research is taking place in Louisiana under the direction of John Supan, a Louisiana Sea Grant and Louisiana State University AgCenter oyster specialist. Walton and Supan’s shared goal is the introduction of economically sustainable off-bottom oyster culture in the Gulf of Mexico. POINT AUX PINS OYSTERS
Crockett's are no exception. "My goal was to produce a world-class oyster," he said. "So far, I have not been disappointed." Neither has Jim Gossen, president and CEO of Louisiana Foods Global Seafood Source (a seafood distributor). He usually buys premium oysters from the northeastern United States or Canada. Working with Crockett and Walton, he has sold Point aux Pins oysters in Houston to high-end restaurants that offer oysters from up to 12 different locations. "I gave a little better price, and they got as good an oyster or better," Gossen said. "All who have tried them have re-bought them." Point aux Pines waters are pristine, with no agricultural or industrial run-off and do not have issues with septic tanks, Crockett said. Because consumers like to know where their food comes from, those pristine waters can be a powerful marketing tool, according to Gossen. INTEREST IN OYSTER FARMING In business nearly 40 years, Gossen has seen the numbers of oyster decline in the Gulf. Oyster aquaculture, an established industry in East Coast states, could become an industry in the Gulf to supplement wild-caught oysters. "I know several people who would start it today, if they could get permits," Gossen said. "That is something I would like to see happen all along the Gulf Coast." While permitting is an issue yet to be tackled, Walton is also working on a legal research project to determine how it might be possible to have designated oyster-farming areas where growers could lease space. LONGLINE SYSTEM WORKS BEST FOR POINT AUX PINS At Crockett's farm, scientists have tested three types of grow-out systems. In some, wire baskets hang from floats that are on the surface of the water. They can be flipped over, so the baskets are out of the water. Another system has the baskets resting on floats that are filled with water and submerged on the water bottom. They can be raised so the oysters are out of the water. The third method, and the one that is working best for Crockett, is the Australian longline system. Lines are strung between PVC pipes that have three hooks at different heights. The oyster baskets are fastened to the line. They can be moved to a higher hook to get them out of the water for cleaning, and they can be lowered to remain in the water during different tides. Crockett first volunteered to grow oysters off his pier as part of the volunteer Mobile Bay Oyster Gardening Program, which raises oysters for restoration. "We had the best site," he said. "I thought. 'We can grow oysters.'" All in all, Crockett said farmers can make about $20,000/acre per year after paying equipment and labor costs. It takes about 18 months from spawning to grow a full-size oyster. Oystermen in the Gulf typically harvest oysters from reefs on the bottom and sell their catches to processing plants, where they are shucked and packaged for sale. Harvested oysters that end up in the half-shell market go to oyster bars, where owners are unlikely to pay twice as much for premium oysters because they go through so many, Gossen said. The Point aux Pins oysters are grown for high-end restaurants and other outlets that serve premium oysters on the half-shell. "There is no intent to compete with the fishery," Walton said. OYSTERS FOR RESTORATION "Instead of raising 'single' oysters (which might be vulnerable to predation if released onto the seafloor), oyster farmers can produce large numbers of juvenile oysters set in clumps on shell or rock. These clumps of oysters, with a head start from an oyster farm, could help wild populations recover," he said. A series of workshops are planned to address issues, such as appropriate culture systems, oyster seed stock, growing market-quality oysters and developing practices and regulations in collaboration with state agencies. For information, contact Walton at billwalton@auburn.edu or Supan at jsupan@lsu.edu.
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Crockett's oysters are making a name for themselves. The Point aux Pins oysters, named after the Point aux Pines peninsula near where they are grown, are part of an effort to study the feasibility of introducing "boutique" Gulf of Mexico oysters to the half-shell market. Boutique oysters are typically cleaner, have a more appealing shape, are saltier and are known for the taste of the specific waters where they are grown.
