Unfortunately, it's hard for people to leave wild oysters undisturbed. Wild oyster growing cycles typically follow the oyster life cycle and should technically have consistent numbers. Summer tends to be tight months for New England oysters because market size oysters are sold out, so the oysters left are those racing to reach 3 inches or simply little spat barely mature.Īs farmed supply declines, there is some pressure on wild supplies. Farms also sold many of their petites in the winter from the same 2013 crop for some extra sales, so we're seeing very limited number of those as well. Now, growers are waiting on oysters to sell from the 2013 crop, and unfortunately, the late spring this year gave these oysters a slow start. Many growers are close or already out of market size oysters from the 2012 crop. As mentioned above, it takes at least 18 months to grow an oyster to 3 inches, so if you count 18 months from April, the oysters will be ready the next October as summarized below. Starting baby oysters in the winter would annihilate them. Most New England growers receive their oyster spat in late April or May when the waters are warmer and contain more food. Lately, oyster supply has been really tight and in New England, much of it is due to the growing cycle. Understanding the Growing Cycle on the Farm
Very much like agricultural farming, growers have to plan their farming schedule to allot enough time for growout. Some of that area has to be devoted to oysters that are maturing to market size. Since growers only have a finite amount of land, they also only have a finite amount of oysters they can grow on their farm. It takes 18 to 24 months for oysters to become adults or grow to market size, approximately 3 inches. The oyster life cycle very much dictates the growing schedule on a farm. Oysters on our farm arrive when the spat is about 2mm in size.
So instead of collecting wild spat, some oyster farms buy spat that has been spawned and fertilized in a hatchery. If they do, there is not enough spat to collect to seed a farm. In many areas including Duxbury Bay, water temperatures do not fluctuate enough for oysters to spawn. These young oysters, also known as spat, will now need ample food (and time) to develop their hard shells for protection as they grow in size. Once the eggs are fertilized in the water, the developing larvae float around until they are ready to attach to a resting spot.
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