We didn't know much about oysters in 2016 when recent Golden Otis award winners Corinne Ruff & Angela Andresen came to us with the idea to create a documentary. The Oyster Farmers premiered shortly after that in January of 2018, but before we even finished the film we realized that our call to action was to repopulate our local waters with oysters. In short, East Coast oyster reefs are only ~1% of what they were in the mid-1800's (Read more here). We were quickly educated on what became a new hero to us, crassostrea virginica, or the eastern oyster. Oysters filter water, create habitat, protect shorelines, and support an industry that you might not be super familiar with. The farmers in New Jersey's waters were sparse, especially after Hurricane Sandy, but many have started businesses since and are as resilient as the oysters that they farm.
The Winter of 2025/2026 was a frozen one, literally. Prolonged freezing, thick bay ice, wind, and extreme low tides didn't make it easy on the farmers, nor their gear. You probably didn't think about that when you were slurping down oysters this Summer though. Many farmers lost significant money trying to track down scattered gear and oysters. Oyster mortality, increased labor costs, and reduced inventory likely led to a multi-year financial hole to dig out of for many. Cold water isn't necessarily bad for oyster production as it can reduce the spreading of diseases like Dermo and MSX, but last Winter was one of the coldest we've seen in years.
We've been supporting oyster growers and the industry overall since our Jetty Rock Foundation (JRF) supported the educational documentary. First, we partnered with Parsons Seafood, Long Beach Township, and Stockton University to create the first-ever municipal-run oyster recycling program in New Jersey. Soon after, the State of New Jersey sat with us and initiated the NJDEP Shell Recycling Program which is run through NJ Fish & Wildlife. We've financially supported both programs although they have took it largely upon themselves to fulfill the mission of collecting shells from local restaurants, cure the shell, then return it to the water. Farmers step in and assist to complete the cycle with restoration efforts.
Now some 10 years later, JRF's oyster initiatives live within our Raising Shell program whose goal is to "elevate oysters, their growers, and the industries and communities connected to them"
Today we partner with the COASTAL RCCP Project the JRF has pushed helping to fund (9) local oyster farmers pursuing spat on shell restoration on their leases. We accelerated that support by hosting our inaugural Raising Shell Oyster Social last month. We've also worked with and supported the NJDEP's Project S.H.E.L.L initiative which provides environmental trips for NJ school students and revamped Stafford Schools' class trips by funding eco-trips for all grades (K through 6th). Partnering with Minorities In Aquaculture and Oyster Master Guild has helped spread awareness well beyond Jersey. Since 2017, we've contributed $445,825.14 to oyster farmers, partner organizations, and initiatives. We accelerated that support by hosting our inaugural Raising Shell Oyster Social last month. This was all about oyster education, but beneath that we paid the farmers above-market price for the oysters that they supplied. From clean water to economic implications, we're committed to doing everything that we can to support the oyster industry...and now we have a brand new boat, The Oyster Shooter, so we can get out on the water for research, education, and restoration.
