Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/205938
great tastes ~ Island Creek Oysters they are not only growing oysters for restaurants, but have expanded their overall mission to make oyster farming more of a sustainable and renewable resource in other countries through their aquaculture initiatives. On an overcast May morning, I took a 30-minute drive from Boston to the coastal town of Duxbury, Massachusetts. Arriving in Duxbury, I looked out my passenger side window at one of their street signs. On it, was the circular Duxbury insignia––a forward facing pilgrim with the words, "Duxbury, Massachusetts, Incorporated June 17, 1637." Founded by Myles Standish more than 375 years ago, it's the home and world headquarters of Island Creek Oysters. Locally owned by Skip Bennett, he started the business around 1990, although he and his family had been in the fishing industry for many years prior. Shore Gregory, President of Island Creek Oysters met me at their Duxbury harbor headquarters. "Dude, thanks for making the trip." That's how we greet each other––"Dude", or sometimes it's "What's up brother?"––It's like a fraternal camaraderie atmosphere on the farm. I met Shore and Skip a few years back through an introduction by Garrett Harker, proprietor of the aforementioned restaurant. Through their non-profit arm, The Island Creek Oyster Foundation, they have been working toward bringing aquaculture initiatives to other countries, helping them to be a part of the solution to global A Salty Sustainability: Island Creek Oysters and their aquaculture initiatives. Article & Photography by Jason Landry "Counting fish is like counting trees, except they are invisible and they keep moving." ~ John Shepherd When I sit down for dinner at Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston, I can see members of their staff working in pairs behind the raw bar shucking oysters. If you sit toward the back of the bar, you can get a bird's-eye view of Eduardo, one of the chief shuckers, as he makes a quick insertion and jerk of the knife, popping the top off the fresh and savory three-inch bivalves, before securing them on a tray of crushed ice. Shucking oysters takes skill. Each one, from the initial pop to presentation, takes him less than eight seconds to handle. By the end of an average night, he could have easily shucked close to 800 oysters. Eduardo finishes this particular order by perfectly laying the ten oysters around the perimeter of the tray and places it up on the counter with the table ticket. I then see Melissa, one of the runners swoop in, go up on her tippy-toes, and with both arms up and extended, twists the pepper shaker two times over the mignonette–– grabs the tray from the top shelf, and off she goes to table number twenty seven. My interest in Island Creek Oysters may have started in the restaurant, but it has grown exponentially since I found out that 114 food production. As Shore explained, "We have started down that road, specially if you look at what we're doing in Zanzibar, Tanzania. We are trying to introduce this idea of aquaculture to communities of people where wild fisheries are already engrained in their DNA. The crossover from fisheries to aquaculture isn't too big of a leap, and besides being a protein source; oysters become another source of commerce for their impoverished communities. In 2011, with their success in Zanzibar, The William J. Clinton Foundation along with their friends at Partners in Health introduced them to Dr. Valentin Abe, executive director of the Caribbean Harvest Foundation in Haiti. Island Creek teamed up with Dr. Abe to help develop his Tilapia farming project. Through this program, Island Creek is committed to providing fishing kits to the locals, allowing them to catch a food source while earning an income for their families. The Island Creek reach is far and wide, however, back on the farm, they continue to work on their own future goals. "Lowering the mortality rate of the oysters is one of our main concerns," says Shore. Not all oysters live to see the restaurant plate. In fact, Island Creek will lose about 70% of their stock over a season. "That number might seem high, but if you compare that to growing oysters in the wild, it's actually fairly low." With over 250 restaurants