Oyster Farmer

Although most seafood is fished for — for instance, tuna for your sushi, and shrimp for your scampi pasta — not all of it is “caught.” Instead, some of it is farmed, like oysters.

An Oyster Farmer leases from the government a plot of coastal land for the purpose of growing and harvesting oysters, which are edible mollusks that live inside shells. That land typically consists of mudflats where rivers meet the sea, as oysters grow best in the brackish water — part saltwater, part fresh water — that is characteristic of estuaries.

Although most people would rather have a white-sand beach, Oyster Farmers know that their three acres is far more delicious — if not aesthetically, then certainly economically, as oysters are considered a delicacy, which means people often will pay a premium for the privilege of eating them.

Of course, satisfying people’s oyster cravings requires more than acquiring land. It also requires farming it, which involves acquiring oyster “seeds,” or larvae, from a hatchery; placing them in tanks with recycled oyster shells, to which the seeds attach themselves; and then moving them to containers suspended just above the sea floor, where they’ll spend up to four years growing to the proper size. During that time it’s your responsibility as an Oyster Farmer to monitor the water for optimal salinity and temperature, and to protect the oysters from predators, ultimately collecting the mature specimens at low tide and selling them to individuals, restaurants, and markets.

Although you’re a Farmer by name, you’re more like a culinary treasure hunter than a traditional farmhand, scouring saltwater for one of nature’s tastiest treats!