The Oyster Farmers Film

About The Oyster Farmers

The Oyster Farmers, a feature length documentary, centers on coastal life in NJ, specifically the Barnegat Bay. The once prolific Eastern Oyster, an economic and cultural keystone, historically decimated, is poised to recapture its legacy. Oyster farmers in the Barnegat Bay lead a Baymen’s renaissance, cultivating a resurgence of the oyster, to restore its heritage.

In association with Oak Leaf Media, the film’s driving force, the ethos of environmental stewardship, coastal culture, and sustainability echoes throughout the film. The Barnegat Bay, historically the epicenter of wild oysters on the entire Eastern Seaboard, is now less than 1%. This film aims to raise awareness of our lost oyster culture and to preserve our Baymen's heritage.

Official Trailer

stunning videography of the bay and its farmers...

Barnegat Light Taxpayers' Association

Purchase The Film

The Oyster Farmers is now available for purchase! Download it now or order the DVD:

Buy The DVD

The Oyster Farmers DVD

The Oyster Farmers DVD is now available for purchase from the Jetty store!

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Stream The Film On Demand:


See the Film | Screenings

March
28th

Stockton University

Atlantic City Campus

Past Screenings

June 10, 2017 - Lighthouse International Film Festival Barnegat Light, New Jersey
July 21, 2017 - Ocean First Theater, STAC Manahawkin, New Jersey
July 26, 2017 - LBI Foundation of the Arts & Sciences Loveladies, New Jersey
July 29, 2017 - South End Surf 'N Paddle Beach Haven, New Jersey
August 15, 2017 - Sink'r Swim Shop Beach Haven, New Jersey
August 25, 2017 - Mud City Crab House Manahawkin, New Jersey
September 22, 2017 - Tuckerton Seaport Tuckerton, New Jersey
September 25, 2017 - Dozzino (Hoboken Oyster Social) Hoboken, New Jersey
October 8, 2017 - Bistro 14 Beach Haven, New Jersey
October 14, 2017 - DTLA Oyster Festival at Grand Central Market Los Angeles, California
October 14, 2017 - Small City Co-Working Space Brooklyn, New York
December 2, 2017 - Starlight Theater/14 Easy Street Nantucket, Massachusetts
March 25, 2018 - Garden State Film Festival Asbury Park, New Jersey
March 27, 2018 - Stafford Elementary School Manahawkin, New Jersey
April 6, 2018 - Society for Applied Anthropology Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
April 15, 2018 - Princeton Environmental Film Festival Princeton, New Jersey
April 28, 2018 - Asbury Park Music & Film Festival Asbury Park, New Jersey
April 21-29, 2018 - London Oyster Week London, United Kingdom
May 5, 2018 - Cape May Film Society Cape May, New Jersey
June 24, 2018 - The Showroom Asbury ParkAsbury Park, New Jersey
July 13, 2018 - Save Barnegat Bay - Bay Head Yacht ClubBay Head, New Jersey
July 24, 2018 - New Hope Film FestivalNew Hope, Pennsylvania
September 21, 2018 - Maxwell Shellfish - Stockton UniversityPort Republic, New Jersey
September 23, 2018 - Barnegat Bay Partnership - Grunin Theater OCCToms River, New Jersey
October 6, 2018 - Long Beach Township Municipal BuildingBrant Beach, New Jersey

Meet the Crew

Angela Andersen

Angela Andersen

Producer, Environmental Consultant

As the Sustainability Coordinator for Long Beach Township in Ocean County, NJ Angela was named as Sustainability Hero February 2015 by Sustainable Jersey as well as the 2015 US Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Champion. She has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and a Masters of Arts in Environment and Community. Angela serves on the board of directors for the Association of NJ Recyclers, the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences and is the Chairperson for the Barnegat Bay Partnerships Communication and Education Committee.

She is a Certified Recycling Professional in New Jersey and nationally certified Sustainable Resource Management Professional. She has worked nearly three decades in the environmental field in NJ for both state and county government as well as with regional NGO’s.

Angela is a word weaver and storyteller, with articles published in local and national publications. She is the Mother of two wonderful children and has made it her ministry to spread the seeds of her ideas out into the world, encouraging growth and promoting sustainability. She brings a lifetime of passion for the Bay and the environment as well as the many friendships she’s made along the way to this production.


Corinne G. Ruff

Corinne G. Ruff

Director, Creator

Corinne has flown as a Corporate and International Commercial Airline Pilot for the past 25 years. She has authored two books and serves her community as a volunteer event planner. She is the proud Mother of two children.  She created, wrote and produced Landfall, The Eyes of Sandy a Film for Relief, following the devastation of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, which won:

- 2013 Video of the Year, Eastern Surf Magazine
- 2014 Montclair Film Festival Official Selection
- 2014 Lighthouse International Official Selection
- 2014 Macon Film Festival Official Selection
- 2014 Trenton Film Festival Best Documentary Feature
- 2014 Global In-flight Documentary Selection, Delta Air Lines, Force for Global Good

As a Pilot Ambassador for Delta Airlines, she has appeared in print ads, commercials and videos on the other side of the camera. Other film industry affiliations include memberships with the Independent Filmmaker Project, International Documentary Association, Women in Film and has served as a Film Festival Juror. The Oyster Farmers marks her debut as a feature film Director.

Her mantra: “Find your voice, be brave, and share your story with the world.”


Brendan Walsh

Brendan Walsh

Production Partner/Editor (Partner, Oak Leaf Media)

Directing for over ten years, Brendan found his niche in documentary editing while producing short films for orphanages in several third world countries.  He has edited television shows and commercials for HGTV, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel, and the web for companies such as Microsoft, International Delights, Dr. Scholls, Samsonite, and many more.  Brendan has written numerous feature and television scripts, created sizzle reels that have sold to television, and reimagined what corporate and nonprofit film can achieve.


Dave Niziolek

Dave Niziolek

Director of Photography (Partner, Oak Leaf Media)

With an extensive background in audio production, Dave transitioned his aesthetic to the visual medium six years ago.  He has shot commercials for Dr. Scholls, Samsonite, Shark, Abbott, Chevy, America’s Best, and more.  A born storyteller, Dave is currently penning his second feature film script and co-writing four others.


Kyle Griffin

Kyle Griffin

Aerial Photographer, Audio, Grip (Partner, Oak Leaf Media)

As the Digital Media Manager of The Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, Kyle increased visitors with targeted marketing and content strategies while gaining a unique insight into advertising analytics.  Kyle steps back from the story and organizes the larger pieces to create cohesion.  He is a skilled drone photographer and captures expansive and breathtaking images for Oak Leaf Media.


Kyle Gronostajski

Kyle Gronostajski

Underwater Photographer

Kyle Gronostajski is a life long surfer, fisherman, and lover of all things ocean. He is a full time resident of Surf City after graduating from Philadelphia University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sustainability. Kyle has been a surf and lifestyle photographer for the past 10 years earning spots on the Eastern Surf Magazine Cover, the Sandpaper, and various online outlets. For the past 3 years Kyle has served as the Executive Director of Alliance for a Living Ocean on Long Beach Island. The organization, which has been in existence for nearly 30 years, has worked to protect the environment surrounding LBI.


Behind the Scenes

The Oyster Farmers Behind the Scenes

The Oyster Farmers film celebrates our rich coastal heritage. By documenting, preserving and presenting the resurgence of the oyster via aquaculture and oyster reef restoration in our Bays; the film inspires Bay Stewardship.

The Oyster Farmers Behind the Scenes

Oyster Farmer, Matt Gregg of Forty North Oyster Farms and the Barnegat Oyster Collective holds a Rose Cove oyster. Demand is high for these boutique oysters in the half-shell market, putting the Barnegat Bay on the map for delicious high quality oyster seekers. Pictured below with boat “Little Red” Matt and his partner Scott Lennox ignited the oyster renaissance in the Bay today.

The Jersey Garvey, also known as the Baymen’s Boat, looks as it did 300 years ago working these waters. Made from Atlantic white Cedar, these workhorses hauled a seemingly endless supply of shellfish from our Bays.

Dale Parsons Jr., 5th Generation Bayman/1st Generation Oyster/Clam Farmer stands at the helm of his family’s business, Parsons Seafood, established in 1909. The visionary behind the “Tuckerton Reef” and Parsons Mariculture Center, he strives to honor the generations of Baymen who came before him, while modernizing operations to ensure its future.


Our Sponsors


The Oyster Farmers film would not be possible without the generosity and support of our sponsors.

Oak Leaf Media
Jetty Rock Foundation
Jetty
Forty North Oyster Farms
Parsons Seafood
Barnegat Oyster Collective
Maxwell Shellfish

Grants


Ocean County Cultural and Heritage Commission
Suez

Associate Producers


Bistro 14
The Old Causeway
Reclam The Bay
Sink r Swim
Callaghan Pump and Controls

High Flying Sponsors


Grundens
Dr. Ronald Hoxworth and Family

Oyster Farm Tour Sponsor


Rancocas Veterinary Associates

Barnegat Bay Sponsors


  • Black Eyed Susan's
  • The Local
  • The Sea Shell Resort & Beach Club
  • The Daymark
  • The Arlington
  • Ship Bottom Shellfish
  • The Black Whale
  • Delaware Avenue Oyster House
  • The Sandpaper
  • The MakeShift Union

Step & Repeat Sponsor


  • Paul Vereb Builders

With Support From:


  • BAY Magazine
  • The Tuckerton Seaport and Bayman's Museum
  • Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences
  • The Tuckerton Historical Society
  • The NJ Maritime Museum

Special Thanks To:


  • Stockton University Field Station
  • Stockton University
  • Rutgers University Marine Field Station 119
  • Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science
  • Haskins Shellfish Research Laboratory
  • Aquaculture Innovation Center
  • The American Littoral Society
  • Edible Jersey Magazine

Oyster Farmers Press

07-06-17Edible Jersey

‘The Oyster Farmers’

07-03-17Bay Magazine

An Oyster Farmer's Film Journey

05-09-17Micromedia Publications

Lighthouse International Film Festival Kicks Off

03-02-17Barnegat Light Taxpayer's Association

‘The Oyster Farmers’ Documentary Film Planned for May

09-01-16Bay Magazine

Oyster Mystique

For more information about The Oyster Farmers, email info@jettylife.com


Support The Oyster Farmers Film:

Text “shucks” to 41444

or Donate Online

The Oyster Recycling Program

During the making of The Oyster Farmers film, the Jetty team saw an opportunity to help replenish the oyster population in Barnegat Bay. With the help of our partners, we created The Oyster Recycling program - a community-wide effort to recycle oyster shells from local restaurants and use them to build natural oyster beds throughout the bay.

The program relies on the support of individuals like you! Find out how you can help by visiting the Oyster Recycling Program website.

Learn More