Cleaning and Maintaining Oysters

  
  Every oyster in production at The Last Place On Earth is sprayed clean with salt water and the bags are shaken every month. Many rack and bag systems shake their bags frequently but only our style of aquaculture allows us to spray clean every oyster while we handle our bags. This cleaning is why our singles are free of barnacles and mussels. The deep cup in the oyster is also partly responsible to this cleaning. The edges of the new growth around the bill are chipped back during this process. By breaking off the fragile new growth at the edges of the bill we force the oysters to deepen their shape rather than spreading out flat and thin. The way we handle our oysters during the cleaning process is one reason the quality of the finished oyster seems so remarkable. You will find that our oysters are among the cleanest in the industry.  
 

The tools we use for this style of aquaculture have to be developed as we find a need. No examples are available for us to copy. Our barges as well as the pump apparatus for cleaning are unique to us in our industry.

Our onboard pump is a Jacuzzi pump driven by a 5hp Honda engine directly linked. A hose supplies intake water from over the side of the barge and a discharge hose is nippled down to dispense 40 gal/min at 200psi. "This tool does a more than adequate job of cleaning our bags and our oysters.

Our barges are built of 20 foot 2x12s casing styrofoam logs and covered with a plywood skin. The deck is then covered with wet felt (a throw away item from local paper mills). A track is then added to raise the working level of the bags to just below waist level. The track has a plastic surface to allow the line to slide from one end of the barge to the other. A flap style front allows us to pull the lines onto the barge without the bags catching on the front end. The slope on the back allows for a smooth return into the water. The flat sections of the track are removable to allow for driving the barge as well as using it as a transport vehicle.
The barge tucks in under the floating line allowing us to pull the lines over the track. We then have access to about 7 bags at a time to clean and shake. When we finish that set we then pull the line towards the back of the barge and move the barge forward under the line.
Unlike traditional bag systems we are able to inspect, clean and shake, harvest, or maintain our line whenever there is sufficient water to float our barges. These barges need only about 6 inches of water to be able to float free of the bottom. This allows work whenever winds and tides permit.

At The Last Place On Earth we probably spend more time in the care and handling of our oysters than is common in our industry but our customers enjoy the best oysters they have found anywhere.

  • The taste is very sweet since there is very little contact with the bottom.
  • There are no barnacles or mussels since spat are rinsed off before they can firmly attach.
  • The oysters are spotlessly clean both inside and out.
  • The meats are full because they have access to ample feed which grows near the surface where light can penetrate.
  • The cups are shaped well because of the regular cleaning and shaking, as well as the constant movement on the surface.
  • The shells are less dense and have a prettier appearance because of the rapid growth in this style of aquaculture.
  • The shelf life is in excess of two weeks from the date of harvest.
  • Every oyster is harvested and shipped the same day.
  
 
We believe the "Suspended Singles" we produce will set a new standard for single shell stock oysters!
 

"I'm Mike Marshall, the owner of The Last Place On Earth LLC. I'd like to personally answer any questions regarding this company or this web site." E-Mail: mikemarshall@whoever.com.
Copyright © 1999 TLPOE. All rights reserved.