Fieldwork statement
The Blue Point Oyster is a world-renowned oyster known to grace the tables at the best restaurants and events around the world.
In the 1970s, industrialised fishing crashed its population in the Great South Bay. New York State started funding habitat restoration in the early 2000s, granting leases to local fishermen eager to bring back the industry and revive the Blue Point Oyster. Millions of oysters have since been reintroduced into the Bay.
I am studying how the industry has reintegrated into society with few problems; the economic and conservation system has benefitted all the main actors. Through participant observation of the farmers and interviews with local community members, I am trying to determine how this industry works within Long Island and if the system is exportable to other locations.
‘Slack tide on the oyster farm’
This unusually calm day at the oyster farm, with no wind and slack tide, presents the perfect opportunity to appreciate the oyster bags – which number in the thousands – laid out throughout the farm.
Oyster farmers are working in the background, bringing bags of oysters to the boat to be sorted between market-size oysters and ones that need more time on the farm.
‘Beats any day in the office’
This farmer loves spending his days in the fresh air out on the oyster farm. Having worked an office job most of his life, he loves the opportunity to be outdoors, doing physical labour on the Bay.
In the photo, he is flipping the oyster bags over to the other side using a common garden hoe. Oysters cannot swim, so the farmers must flip the bags every few days to ensure that oysters on both sides access good flowing water.
‘Ready-for-market oysters’
These oysters were deemed market-ready based on the size and shape of the shell.
The farmer just sorted through hundreds of oysters and is now collecting the oysters that are ready to be sold into this bucket. The mud will be cleaned off the oysters, they will be counted into groups of 100, and finally placed into small, mesh bags to be sold.
