When the oysters have been growing in a 9mm bag for 2 months, we tumble again. To do that we flip each bag by hand once a week! It may not sound like a lot but, we flip around 1600 bags by hand. During the two months, we have to keep the 9mm bags clean from fouling (growth of unwanted organic material, like barnacles on each oyster bag). When all of the oysters make it into a 9mm bag, they stay in these bags for about 2 months before we tumble them again. We repeat this process once a month until all the oyster seed is large enough to go into a 9mm bag. Remember we started off with 3500-6500 6mm oysters in each bag and that decreases down to 500! The oysters that are too small will be placed back into a 4mm for further growth. We place 500 12-18mm oysters in a 9mm bag. This process is done by tumbling the oysters in a large tube with lots of holes, and by turning the tube, the oysters separate by size.Īfter the tumbling process, we place them in a 9mm bag! The oysters now have grown to 12-18mm in size. It is very important to keep the bags clean so the oysters get lots of food to grow big and strong! When the seed have been in the bags for 1 month, we take them out to tumble them. Every week that the seed is in the bag, we must pressure wash the bags to keep them clean. We place roughly 3500-6500 oyster seed in each bag. Once the seed is received, we place them in 4mm oyster bags. When the oyster seed reaches 6mm in size, it is time for them to head out to the farm!
![oyster spat purchase oyster spat purchase](https://arundelrivers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/spat-and-oyster-cage-242x300-1.jpg)
With 4 different nurseries, we can plant oyster seed throughout the year, starting as early as April. Why purchase from 4 different locations? Each location has seed available at different times of the year. We purchase oyster seed from 4 different hatcheries /nurseries. Our oyster “seed” start off their tiny lives in a hatchery or nursery.
![oyster spat purchase oyster spat purchase](https://wellfleetspat.org/wp-content/uploads/oystersonice-pic-boston-globe-600x436.jpg)
![oyster spat purchase oyster spat purchase](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t915-tZ6QiM/hqdefault.jpg)
So what does it take to grow the best oysters in the world? Let’s talk about what it takes to grow an oyster from start to finish! Each shell is beautifully cupped to hold what we consider the best oyster in the world, better yet-the Gold of Eastern North Carolina.
#Oyster spat purchase full#
What characteristics do you think about when it comes to the best oysters in the world? Plump and full of meat? Salty? Maybe even a little sweet? These adjectives precisely describe a Carolina Gold Oyster.