You’re in the right place if you’ve ever considered growing oysters on your own dock!  As you grow the eastern oyster from seed into adult oysters, you will see firsthand how important these  bivalves are to this estuary. As adults, these oysters can filter 1.3 gallons of water an hour, removing excess nutrients and capturing suspended sediment. These seed will provide habitat for young fish, crabs, and grass shrimp. From filtering water, to providing habitat, your oyster garden will do a whole lot of good in the body of water that they occupy!

The seed that you receive from Hoopers Island Oyster Co. is created in our hatchery and grown out over approximately 3 months when they come to you. This means that we create this seed without removing anything from the natural environment. Our seed is created to be triploid, meaning they have 3 sets of chromosomes rather than 2. This makes them special because they grow at an accelerated pace and can become adult oysters in about half the time of a wild oyster. These oysters are also bred with disease resistant genetics that strengthen them against disease causing pathogens like Dermo and MSX.  For more information on how we produce oyster larvae and seed, check out our oyster farming page.