Want some oysters? I'm gonna grow 'em.

[trof]

Yep, trof is about to become an oyster farmer.
It's being done successfully in Mobile Bay.
Now the Auburn Univeersity Coop Extension System's shellfish laboratory wants to try the program in other areas.

I live on a smaller bay (Wolf Bay) about 40 miles east of Mobile Bay.
I've been in contact with one of the aquaculture specialists (Ph. D., no less) and they selected my shoreline for one of the test beds.
This should really be interesting.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Look for me at your place.

I'll be the guy with the Forester filled with every kind of hot sauce he can find.

[trof]

8. Check with me in 4 years.

Takes that long, at least, before a harvest.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Do you need a test eater?

I will gladly volunteer. I will bring my own tools.

[Stuckinthebush]

3. I just drove by Wolf Bay

I was amazed that there weren't more raw oyster places in Gulf Shores. Papa Roccos seemed interesting but I don't get the pizza and oysters thing.

Are you going to sell them locally?

[trof]

7. Let me know next time you're here.

We're about 5 minutes from the expressway.

[Stuckinthebush]

13. I actually thought about you going through there

I'll yell next time I'm down there. You can show me your oysters.

[trof]

20. I'll cook you up a mess of shrimp.

[donco6]

4. Love 'em. Good luck. n/t

[SheilaT]

5. While I of course wish you luck,

you can give my share to someone else. I find oysters disgusting. Shrimp, on the other hand, I'll take.

[trof]

10. For you, I'll cook shrimp.

We got lots.

[SheilaT]

24. Thank you.

Next time I head in the direction I'll let you know.

Sheila :)

[Laelth]

6. Oysters are highly susceptible to poaching, i.e. getting stolen.

Over the years, many people have tried farming them on the Georgia coast. It ends up being unprofitable because after a year or two of success word gets out that the farmer is actually producing some oysters, and then all the oysters mysteriously vanish.

I hope you have much success, and I hope you can guard your farm.

:dem:

-Laelth

[trof]

9. I'm setting these out:

:evilgrin:

[Laelth]

14. LOL. Good luck with that. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[underseasurveyor]

11. That sounds very cool

Imagine being an oyster farmer:-) How cool is that.

Best of luck to you. I hope your patch of shoreline/beds turn out to be prime habitat and very productive.

When I think of oysters and I think of Daffy Duck... :evilgrin:

[Adelante]

12. Yum, I love oysters

I grew up on New York Harbor, which historically was an oyster farming area. They are making a comeback there, although they are not officially edible yet. There have always been people raking them up and eating them in the dead of night when the inspectors weren't around to see, though.

You may find this interesting:

http://keep.typepad.com/nyc_oyster_gardening_prog/the-new-york-city-oyster-gardening-program-announces-lecture-series.html

[Winterblues]

15. It can be a pretty expensive operation

Aquiring the spat is not all that easy and then every few weeks all the baskets have to be washed off with a big pump, lots of algea and other growth occurs right along side the oysters, like barnacles for instance. If you don't keep the baskets clean they will sink and you lose your investment. The oysters have to be sorted (sized)which is labor intensive and then a distribution system needs to be in place. You have to have a boat because they grow in the water, and one big enough to haul your product. There is quite a bit of money tied up in baskets and line, plus you either need to stand guard yourself or hire a watchman. People will mess with your gear. IMO it is a declining business but best of luck to you.

[trof]

17. I'm just providing a test bed and helping to keep the bay clean.

Not really planning to go into a commercial operation.
But I hope it might encourage the 'experts' to do so. It would be nice to establish a new 'industry' in our bay.
Plus, oysters really help to clean any toxins and other 'bad' stuff out of the water.

[aikoaiko]

16. Being born and raised a Yankee, I enjoy them raw, but now that I live in SE GA,...

...I enjoy a good oyster roast.

[lonestarnot]

18. Woohoo. Can you mail 'em?

[trof]

19. Oysters as pollution cleaners

Healthy oysters consume algae and other water-borne nutrients, with each filtering up to five litres of water per hour. Scientists believe that the Chesapeake Bay's once-flourishing oyster populations historically filtered the estuary's entire water volume of excess nutrients in approximately three to four days.

Oysters are known for their role of filtering and removing nitrogen from water.<3> In fact, nitrogen is the main food of phytoplanktons who gather in masses at the surface disallowing sunlight from reaching deeper waters. Oysters feed on plankton and, thus, expel solid pellets of waste which get decomposed into the atmosphere as nitrogen.<4> In Maryland, the Chesapeake Bay Program plans—with the help of oysters—to cut the amount of nitrogen entering the Chesapeake Bay by 19 million pounds a year by 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster#Marine_pollution

[onethatcares]

21. I sure do wish you the best of luck

Of course you'll have hurricanes to deal with, the dead zone, poachers, and a zillion other things, but you are doing the right thing.

Here in the Tampa Bay area, oysters can't be harvested due to all the pollution and run off from the lawns in the way of fertilizer. And there's that little problem of the sewer treatment plants not being able to keep up with the rain at times which leads to city sponsored beach closures, etc.

Good luck, and more good luck.

Peace

[Gabi Hayes]

22. how bout this?

http://www.pbase.com/elif/image/69567477

http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/19/messages/399.html

[BuyingThyme]

23. Only if you cook 'em.

And don't put 'em in a friggin' can.

Otherwise, yes please. Thank you.

[mwdem]

25. I'll be out your way in about 4 years!

I love Gulf oysters!