-Photo Credit: Fisher's Island Oysters

“Farm without harm,” Fishers Island Oyster Farm.

Fishers Island Oyster farm was founded in 1981 by Sarah and Steve Malinowski. This was a time when the field of aquaculture, marine-based farming, was beginning to shape into its modern form. Since then, the farm has taken up a prominent position as one of the Island’s premier oyster growers and distributors.

The family-owned and managed farm utilizes a suspension-culture approach. As said on their website, this is an efficient and environmentally conscious method of aquaculture. Their large nursery allows them to raise millions of oyster seeds, most of which are sold to other Northeast oyster farms. From the nursery, those they keep are brought to their grow-out site at the island’s West Harbor.

The Malinowski family is heavily involved with these processes, from the nursery to the grow-out site, and eventually to when these oysters are shipped out. As noted by the farm, their oysters are stored in the very nets they are raised on until the day they ship. This allows for a high level of quality control and is overall healthier for customers and the oysters themselves.

This level of sustainability in aquaculture was only made possible through trial and error. By raising the oyster in a natural habitat with minimal impact on the local environment, not only do the oysters thrive, but the water surrounding Fishers Island as well. In 2018, shellfish growers, including the Malinowski family, partnered with The Nature Conservancy to form the Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition.

Oysters are an important piece of the ecosystem, and Fishers Island Oysters know this well. New York Harbor School’s Billion Oyster Project is partnered with the farm in an effort to raise the population of these hearty mollusks. Their reefs at one point covered nearly 350 square miles of New York Harbor before climate change and other factors decimated oyster populations. The benefits of such reef coverage would help local waters with filtration as well as nurturing other marine species.

Fishers Island Oysters will continue their powerful mission of sustainable growing practices, and offer their delicious bounty to folks nationwide. Primarily, they deliver to restaurants and markets. While they will not be shipping their oysters until September, it is possible to visit them for pickup.

Visit their website to learn more about their conservation projects and partners, and for information on their oysters, many of which can be found scattered throughout New York markets.