River Gold Oysters from Damariscotta, ME

Harvest location: Damariscotta River, ME

How they’re grown: Brendan's crew uses a range of growing techniques throughout their oysters' growth cycle - bottle and barrel upwellers, grow cages, floating tumblers, and bottom culture - each one suited for use in various contours of the Damariscotta River. River Golds are the bottom planted version to Blackstone Point's surface grown varietal. 

River Golds begin their journey as seed in a nursery at the mouth of the legendary river called Great Salt Bay where the water is warmer and less salty than the final grow-out site further upstream. They are finished on the bottom of the river floor. It takes anywhere from 1.5-2 years for Blackstone Points to reach harvestable size.

Why they’re unique: The happy mingling of fresh and saltwater throughout the oysters' lifecycle - brackish water at the start of their journey in the nursery, and the briny finish at their main lease down river.

Story: Meet Brendan Parson - oyster farmer, raw bar owner and distribution man, all in one. Brendan first dipped his toe into the world of aquaculture when he worked on an oyster farm in high school. In 2015, he decided to start his own business, converting an Oscar Mayer hot dog cart into Maine's first oyster-bar-on-wheels. One year later, Brendan started Blackstone Point Oysters, and a year after that he signed a lease on an old gas station in Newcastle, ME which he transformed into an oyster distribution hub and raw bar called Shuck Station. Oyster farmers are a unique breed; entrepreneurial, creative, hardworking. Clearly, the Blackstone Point crew is no exception.

Consuming this product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.