![]() ![]() Generally, their seed takes 14 months to mature to harvestable size. The brothers buy 2-millimeter seed at $13 per thousand oysters from both ARC Hatchery in Dennis, and Muscongus Bay Aquaculture in Bremen, Maine. In the first week they grow by a factor of ten.” “If you don’t tend to them, they will grow bigger than you can imagine. “Its amazing how quick they grow in June,” Chris said. Oysters must measure three inches in length to legally sell in Massachusetts and the brothers aim to bag 1,500 oysters each week.Ĭhris dumped bags onto the workstation in the middle of the skiff, and they sized the oysters on a three-inch PVC-pipe hole that dropped into a bucket below. Culling oysters is a tedious process of collecting the oysters that have reached sellable size. The bag had 18-millimeter holes in the mesh, compared to the bags containing young oysters, which have 1.5-millimeter holes. But as they continue to expand, the Bryants hope to soon sell their oysters in local restaurants in Marion as well.Ĭhris leaned over the side of the boat and hoisted up a bag of oysters. Currently, their product can be found at Island Creek Oyster Bar and Row 34, both restaurants in Boston. They sell about 25,000 oysters each year at 60 cents an oyster, but they hope to double those numbers this season. They are only able to dedicate about 25 hours each week to their oysters, making their hopeful expansion a grueling process. Ben handles the company’s books, and works full-time in manufacturing in New Hampshire. Chris currently works as a superintendent at the Burr Brothers Boat Yard and Nat is a boat salesman. The brothers hope to soon make oyster farming their full-time jobs. “Oyster men and women are great advocates for clean water.” “Propagation and dispersion of seed oyster is a byproduct of oyster aquaculture,” said Jay. Oyster farming can contribute to the restoration of wild oyster populations in ecosystems, according to Andrew Jay, founder of the Massachusetts Oyster Project, a nonprofit dedicated to using oysters to restore ecosystems statewide. Growing up they dug wild oysters in the harbor, but they saw the population decreasing in the '80s and '90s, and wanted to make a difference. The smaller, professorial Nat was clearly the decision maker, the stockier Chris the muscle. Neither of the brothers considers themselves an expert. He cocked his head to the side as he squinted into a spreadsheet. “Nat changes it every week, just to mess with me.” “We’ve never figured out how to discuss the rows properly,” said Chris. They argued about the terminology of the “bottom” row versus the “top”. ![]() Jagged rocks make the channel thin and Chris skillfully drifted the boat into the farm.Ĭhris leaned over the side of the boat and held onto the sea-grape encrusted rope as he looked up at Nat. The cove dramatically changes water levels by the tide, reaching six-feet at high and only two-feet at low. Passing Tabor Academy, their waterfront prep school alma mater, Nat and Chris cruised toward Job’s Cove in their 19-foot Carolina Skiff. In the process they remove living and non-living floating particulate matter including algae, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other pollutants. ![]() The Buzzards Bay Coalition is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the restoration, protection, and sustainable use of the neighboring Buzzards Bay.Īccording to Rasmussen, oysters filter approximately 40 gallons of water a day. “Other species largely depend on their presence and ecosystems would dramatically change if they were removed.” “Oysters are a keystone species,” said Mark Rasmussen, president of the Buzzards Bay Coalition. But while the farms might obstruct multimillion-dollar views and prevent areas from being used for recreation, they also contribute to the maintenance of the ecosystem where the same homeowners’ children play. Many Marion residents find oyster farms to be an eyesore and an obstacle for water activities. They maintain a half-acre site in Job’s Cove on the western shoreline of Sippican Harbor where they plant between 200,000 and 300,000 oyster seed every spring.Īs the oyster season approaches full swing, the brothers again find themselves in court fighting for permits to open a second site. In 2012 they planted their first 50,000 seed. In 2010, Nat, Chris, and their brother Ben began fighting for permits to grow oysters in their hometown. The brothers are two-thirds of Bryant Brothers Shellfish Company, a family-run oyster operation based in the Sippican Harbor of Marion. “Where are we shopping bro?” Chris Bryant asked Nat. Waves rippled among the floating oyster bags on the surface of the cove. On a cool October morning, Nat and Chris Bryant shuffled around their skiff and it rocked it back and forth. ![]()
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