Wave Rider Oysters from Winnegance Bay, ME

Harvest location: Winnegance Bay, Phippsburg, ME

How they’re grown: They are grown in mesh bags on suspended lines that sit at the top of the water column. Pontoons are affixed to the bags to keep the line floating at the surface of the water, but with the oysters submerged below the water line at all times. This method allows the developing oysters to “ride the waves” generated by every incoming and outgoing tide, steadily tumbling the oysters which strengthens and polishes the shells as they mature. At 15-24 months, they will be harvested.

Why they’re unique: Local lore (according to the harbormaster) has it that the water quality in Nicholas’s growing environment is some of the best in all of Winnegance Bay! The ebb and flow of the tide brings in algae (AKA oyster food) which floods across the gear, providing his crop with an all you can eat buffet.

Story: Nicholas is a true man of the north! His path to becoming an oyster farmer began in a fashion similar to many Maine farmers – by lobster fishing. Nicholas was a lobsterman in the New Meadows River for 7 years before making the switch to oysters in 2021, with the help of his mentor Chris Warner of Ocean Kiss oyster fame. When he’s not tending to his crop as a one-man operation, he’s busy spending time with his three children, fixin’ gear, ice fishing, and enjoying Maine’s craggy coastlines and natural splendor.

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.