Jim Hooper Photography - Oyster Farmers

OYSTER FARMERS

p o r t r a i t s o f a s u s ta i n a b l e wat e r f r o n t

Photographs by Jim Hooper

Š 2018 Jim Hooper

cover photo: Andrew Marshall design: Frankie Winter Design www.jim-hooper.com

OYSTER FARMERS

p o r t r a i t s o f a s u s ta i n a b l e wat e r f r o n t

Photographs by Jim Hooper

about the project I find a certain irony in the resurgent popularity of oysters. People who love to eat oysters have developed as many descriptors for their favorite bivalves as wine enthusiasts have for wine (briny, fresh, crisp, buttery, citric, clean, cucumber-like, slightly metallic, smoky-sweet, etc.). And true oyster aficionados seem to have a near encyclopedic knowledge of the names and geographic origins of their favorite bivalves (Island Creeks, Wiannos, Wellfleets, Pemaquids, Beausoleils, Blue Points, Misty Points, Mookie Blues, etc.) But I find it ironic that for all their knowledge about the taste and provenance of oysters, most oyster connoisseurs do not know names, faces or even the first thing about the people who grow them.

Oysters and the mystique that surrounds them have fascinated me since childhood. As a young boy growing up in Baltimore, my grandparents’ house had a special dedicated room that they called “The Oyster Room”. It was small and intimate, a wood paneled and windowed space that featured a fireplace, and more importantly, a built-in mahogany oyster-shucking bar where the “grown-ups” would gather on special occasions to drink cocktails and eat oysters from the Chesapeake Bay. For us kids, this room was evocative, mysterious, and a very cool place!

Fast-forward a few decades, my then college-age daughter spent a summer in Duxbury, MA working as an oyster picker on the Island Creek Oyster Farm. In addition to eating a lot of oysters that summer, our family learned all about how they are farmed and about the people who grow them.

So, one thing led to another, and I decided to do my next portrait project about oyster farmers.

Making portraits of oyster farmers presented several unique challenges that I had not previously encountered during my last two community portrait projects (Portraits of a Working Waterfront in Gloucester MA, and The Providence Portrait Project in Providence, RI.) In addition to working long and hard hours, an oyster farmer’s daily activity is dictated by what time low tide occurs; arranging portrait sittings around the ever-changing tide schedule was a challenge. Oyster farmers are also geographically dispersed: their farms are in towns like Duxbury and Plymouth on the South Shore, in Barnstable on the mid-Cape, in Chatham and out to Wellfleet on the outer Cape. There was no single location that was proximate and convenient to all the subjects, so numerous “studio” locations were required. Oyster farmers are also highly independent individuals who work in a disaggregated industry. There are few if any traditional ways of effectively mass-communicating with them as a group. By necessity, most of my scheduling communications with the subjects occurred via informal 3rd party channels, by text, or by word of mouth.

In the end, I was once again helped by the generosity of others. Several people became interested in the project, and they spread the word among the subjects and facilitated my access to the various (and unusual!) “Pop-up” studio locations. The studio sites were chosen because they were proximate to the farmers and allowed them to take a few moments of their rare free time to stand in front of my camera.

The portraits were shot in the upstairs function room of the Duxbury Bay Maritime School, in a horse barn in Barnstable, in the dining room of a friend’s house on Great Island, Hyannis, and under a tent shooting into the Harbormaster’s garage on the Town dock of Wellfleet.

A few key people helped “get the word out” about these portraits, and if not for them this project would never have gotten off the ground. They handled the communication with the farmers about the “where and when” a shoot was happening, and oyster farmers would then wander into my studio-du-jour for their portrait sitting. (Many came straight from the flats where they had been working.)

My over riding impression is that oyster farming is a physically and psychologically demanding business.

Farmers must tend their oysters in all weather, at all times of the year, and at all hours of the day or night...Time and tide for no man wait! Oyster farmers work incredibly hard!

Oyster farming also attracts a highly diverse group of people from very different backgrounds. I was constantly reminded that the people in the oyster farming business are as diverse as the oysters they grow. Over the 2+ years in making this project, I photographed 120 people (and one dog). There were teachers, school counselors, an active airline pilot, a lottery winner, environmental engineers, marine biologists and aquaculturists, an IRS agent, a labor union manager, bartenders and waitresses, former commercial fishermen and lobstermen, an electrician, a former Wall Street investor, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, students in middle school, high school, college and grad school, a former eel farmer, and a former World Champion Oyster schucker.... just to name a few. Some of the farmers are relatively new to the business; others are highly experienced and have been working with oysters for many years and since the early days of aquaculture. The ages of my subjects were also diverse; they spanned from 12 to 83 years old. Yet in spite of all their differences, they all seem to have one thing in common... they all told me how much they loved oyster farming. Each and every person who stood in front of my camera seemed to be incredibly happy in his or her job.

Everyone should be so lucky!

Jim Hooper Dedham, Massachusetts, 2018

2

Holbrook Oyster Ranch Wellfleet, MA Clifford Dalby

3

Merry Oysters Duxbury, MA

Jenny Mattern

4

Snug Harbor Oyster Co. Duxbury MA

Christian Horne & Conor McGrath

5

Island Creek Oyster Co

Duxbury, MA

Mark Bouthillier

Oyster Production in Massachusetts In the early 1900’s, oyster bars or carts could be found on nearly every street in New York City, and people

from every walk of life enjoyed the taste of fresh oysters. After decades of decline, oysters are now enjoying a

national resurgence. Oyster bars and carts are once again proliferating, not only in New York but also in major metropolitan cities and small towns across America.

Massachusetts has been at the center of the tremendous growth in the oyster aquaculture industry for the

last 10-15 years. The farm-to-table movement in restaurants has gained tremendous momentum and seems to be here to stay. The overall trend to eat simple, fresh, and healthy has certainly contributed to the popularity of

oysters. Generally, oysters from Massachusetts are among the most sought-after and often demand the highest

prices. Our oysters are served primarily in their pure state, raw on the half shell. While Massachusetts production has grown exponentially, so has the demand for our oysters. Credit must be given to Skip Bennett of Duxbury and

Island Creek Oyster Company for their early successes in the production and marketing of Massachusetts oysters.

As oyster producers, we can control many things: the shape and size of product, the cleanliness of the shell as

it’s packed, and freshness.... but the one factor we cannot control is the flavor. Those of us who are fortunate to

grow oysters in Massachusetts happen to live and work in a place that simply produces some of the best tasting oysters in the world.

Politics have allowed for growth within the industry, but have kept businesses quite small. Most Massachusetts

oyster farms are less than 5 acres, with only a few that are larger than 10 acres. Local control by town government in Massachusetts coastal communities has influenced each community differently. By contrast, our oyster farming neighbors in Virginia, Maryland, and on historic sites in Long Island Sound often have farms that measure in the 100’s of acres. Those oysters may enter the market to be shucked raw and served on the half-shell; or they may

appear in “value added applications”, (such as cooked-in-shell “Rockefeller” or “Casino” oysters which can be premade, frozen and delivered by a commercial food supplier.)

Oyster cultivation techniques in Massachusetts initially started with rack and bag systems (initially developed

in France), suspended bag systems (originally created in Australia and New Zealand), and floating equipment methods (originally designed in Canada). But early on, we all came to realize that we needed to modify these

systems and techniques to make them work in our own environment. Variables like tide, current, exposure to

wind, water flow, and a specific bottom’s substrates all factor into an individual farmer’s need to customize his or her own cultivation techniques

For example, towns like Duxbury, Plymouth, and Barnstable have tides in the ~10 foot range, and oysters may

have 3-4 hours of exposure during every low tide. In historic oyster producing towns like Wellfleet and Dennis,

many oyster farms are accessed by driving farm trucks across the tidal flats. Farms in Eastham and Brewster are only accessible by walking a half-mile walk to the site; and in Wareham, Fairhaven, and towns along the south side of Cape Cod, oysters are always in the water and growers have developed floating cages and other techniques.

Innovation and customization of site-specific culture methods has been a hallmark of the Massachusetts oyster

business. But the single biggest contributor to the growth of our industry may be one that often goes unnoticed:

the development of disease resistant broodstock through selective breeding by Rutgers University and Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) has enabled oysters (and oyster farms) to survive in the presence of naturally occurring oyster disease organisms. Early years in the oyster aquaculture industry saw devastating crop losses

in many areas due to oyster disease. While our industry certainly isn’t free from the this sort of problem, one can now continue to successfully work within the presence of some of these oyster maladies with careful husbandry and the use of proven broodstock.

Marine scientists and policy makers are also becoming increasingly interested in the environmental benefits

of oyster production, and their surge of interest is helping us to better understand how oysters are helping our coastlines and improving our coastal water quality.

As primary consumers, oysters filter phytoplankton from the water column at amazing levels (a single oyster

can filter 30-50 gallons of water per day!) Many of our estuaries are under stress due to algae blooms caused by elevated levels of nitrogen. It has been recognized in the courts that coastal communities are responsible

for this nitrogen pollution, and oysters have been identified as a viable tool in not only mitigating the effects of these damaging nitrogen produced algae blooms, but also in removing the nitrogen from that particular body

of water in a way that can be measured and documented. Forward thinking communities have already begun to encourage the expansion of private aquaculture efforts in a move towards cleaner estuaries.

With the resurgence of the oyster’s popularity among health-conscious diners, who want to know where

their food comes from, oysters are a poster-child for the farm-to-table movement. The renaissance of the oyster industry is here, and from our perspective it will be here for very a long time.

• • • Dave Ryan is a Marine Biologist by training; he is Director of Operations for Cape Cod Oyster Company which was founded in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1983 by Al Surprenant; CCOC manages more than 50 acres of shellfish aquaculture sites on Cape Cod, and is one of the largest single-source oyster producers in Massachusetts. Dave is as enthusiastic about what he does at 55 years old as he was at 20.

8

Old Cove Oyster Co Duxbury MA

Scott V. Doyle & Scott V. Doyle Jr.

9

Great Island Oyster Co.

Great Island, Hyannis Rulon Wilcox

10

Truro Oyster Works Truro, MA

Dan Smith

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2 Rock Oyster Farm Duxbury, MA

Gregg Morris, Christopher Burns, Jack Turner

12

Blue Yonder Oyster Farm Duxbury, MA

Charlie & Denise White; Patrick Caffrey

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Howland’s Landing Oysters Duxbury MA

Bill Driver

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Warren Cover Oyster Farm Plymouth, MA

Ina & Jim O’Shea

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Beach Point Oysters Barnstable, MA

Mark & Jim Begley

The Growing Massachusetts Oyster Industry In 2016, almost 40 million oysters were commercially

to the lucrative, but selective, half-shell market means a

Commonwealth’s South Shore, Cape Cod, and

simplex), barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides), and

harvested

from

the

coastal

waters

of

the

the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

This harvest commanded a dockside value of approximately $25 million in 2016, all paid directly to

local Massachusetts growers. Oysters have become

one of Massachusetts’ most valuable seafood

species harvested in the state, and it didn’t happen by accident. The nearly 35 million oyster increase in annual landings between 2005 and 2016 has

lot of long days scraping by hand jingle shells (Anomia

sometimes even other oysters off cultured oysters in

preparation for market. When oysters reach market size, aquaculturists sell them to a Division of Marine Fisheries permitted wholesale seafood dealer who

ships the oysters, often within hours of harvest, to retail

and wholesale buyers across the Commonwealth and around the world.

While there are 5 species of oysters in the world,

primarily been driven by a group of Massachusetts

all the oysters grown in Massachusetts are the same

unproductive coastal bottom into some of the state’s

oyster or Crassostrea virginica); this species has

residents who earn their living by turning relatively most productive shellfish habitat, all while producing a healthy, sustainable, ecologically beneficial, and local food product.

Almost 95 percent of the state’s 2016 commercial

oyster harvest came from ~ 375 shellfish aquaculture operations. Most of these oysters can be traced

back to locally operated small shellfish farms with

species, the eastern oyster (also known as the American

extreme variation in color, shape, size, and taste, and

you might notice these differences when visiting your local raw bar or restaurant. This variation speaks to the diversity of Massachusetts oyster production areas and

the wide variety of culture techniques employed across the Commonwealth.

Generally, aquaculturists start by purchasing small

an average size of just under three acres. While 85

juvenile (seed) oysters from shellfish hatcheries; these

just six communities on the Cape and Islands (Duxbury,

head to the size of a quarter. After growers purchase

percent of Massachusetts-grown oysters come from Barnstable, Wellfleet, Edgartown, Wareham, and

Dennis), 28 coastal municipalities currently have active and growing shellfish aquaculture operations.

Growing oysters is no easy task and selling oysters

seed oysters can range in size from smaller than a pin seed they employ a variety of grow out methods to raise

the oysters to market size. The methods employed are generally based on the size of the seed they purchase

and the location of their aquaculture license site. Smaller

seed is less expensive, but requires extensive handling

placed in cages or racks so they stay in place or are

nursery device where seed can be protected prior to

While in some cases oysters can take up to 3 years

and care, as well as access to an upweller or similar

not silted over.

field planting on their aquaculture sites. Larger seed

to go from seed to a market size of 2.5-3.5 inches,

maintenance and care, and can be field planted directly

pioneered in Massachusetts, have resulted in the

is considerably more expensive, but requires far less onto aquaculture site immediately after purchase.

Generally oysters are placed in grow out containers

on aquaculture sites when they reach approximately

advances in hatchery production, some of which were

availability of fast growing, extremely hardy oyster seed that is usually ready for market in 12-18 months.

The coastal waters where oysters are grown are some

a quarter of an inch. Normally these containers are

of the Commonwealth’s most ecologically important

size just large enough for adequate water flow, but

of Marine Fisheries (DMF), in conjunction with coastal

rugged plastic mesh bags or cages with an aperture

small enough where the oysters won’t be dislodged and predators can’t get in. Small bags “foul” easily with algae, tunicates, and other organisms, and need to be

cleaned, at times on a daily basis, to ensure adequate

water flow to the oysters inside. Aquaculturists must also constantly sort oysters by size removing the fastest growing seed into larger bags at lower densities.

Some growers choose to broadcast oysters directly

on the bottom of license sites. Bottom planting is a common practice in shallow protected sub-tidal areas

with relatively hard bottom substrates, such as many

sites on the South Coast and South side of Cape Cod.

In high energy, intertidal areas, or areas with organic

and heavily utilized public areas. The State Division

municipalities, is responsible for the management of shellfish aquaculture in the Commonwealth. Prior to

the issuance of any aquaculture license, DMF staff survey prospective sites to ensure the proposed

aquaculture operation will not substantially conflict

with other user groups or impact important marine resources. DMF’s aquaculture management program

is also responsible for preventing the introduction of shellfish diseases, non-native species, and other pests

or predators that could harm the Commonwealth’s

aquaculture industry, wild commercial fisheries, and other important coastal marine resources.

Shellfish aquaculture can offer tremendous growth

soft bottom sediments, such as sites in the middle

opportunities for the Commonwealth. This growth

Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, oysters must be

the seafood sector of the economy, especially in the

and eastern portions of Cape Cod Bay and sites on

industry can provide jobs that are much needed in

face of declining wild commercial fishing opportunities.

If operated and sited correctly, aquaculture represents a sustainable use of our coastal resources and can continue

to provide economic opportunities without depleting nonrenewable resources. As the aquaculture industry grows,

it will be critical that we continue to strive to maintain a balance between the economic opportunities aquaculture can bring and the protection of our coastal waters and open spaces.

– Chris Schillaci • • • Chris Schillaci is the Aquaculture Specialist for the Massachusetts

Division of Marine Fisheries. He was raised in Florida on the Indian River Lagoon and discovered shellfish aquaculture at a young age. In his current role he coordinates the environmental review

of all marine aquaculture projects in the state. Chris is responsible for the operational permitting of marine aquaculture and shellfish propagation projects, and he assists in the development of the State’s shellfish and aquaculture policy.

19

Clarkes Island Oysters

Plymouth, MA

Sean & Clarke Withington

20

Knecht Oyster Farm Duxbury, MA

Robert Knecht

21

Island Creek Oyster Co.

Duxbury, MA

Chris Sherman & Meghan O’Neal

22

Island Creek Oyster Co. Duxbury, MA

Bill Bennett, Joseph Pierce, Skip Bennett

23

Cape Cod Oyster Co. Barnstable, MA

Nathan Ryan, Al Semprenault, Dave Ryan, Andrew Ryan, Rob Stuart, Joseph Millham, Adelson Tadim, John Quiterio, Dale Gorman

24

Ebb’n’Flow Shellfish Wellfleet, MA

Barbara Austin & Lenford A. Bent

25

Ichabod Flat Oysters Plymouth, MA

Don Wilkinson

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Saquich Oyster Co. Plymouth, MA

Cassie & Bob Gosselin

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Eastham Oyster Company Eastham, MA

Adam Sebastion

Salt

It is the undeniable bond that we humans share with oysters. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, it’s in our blood, our sweat, our toil and our tears......it is an elemental part of life. As salt is to the oysterman, so is it to the oyster.

Critical to the oyster’s health is the salinity of the water constantly passing over its gills and through its valves.

When the water drops below a certain salinity level for a sustained period of time, the oyster will die. And while the oyster that is forced to live and grow in brackish rather than honest-to-goodness salt water might appear seductive to the eye, it will lack distinction on the discerning diner’s palette.

Salt...the oyster cannot thrive without it. Salt also runs deep in the maritime heritage of Massachusetts, and

in the oystermen and women who farm them. Making a living from the sea has been part of the fabric of coastal Massachusetts since the pilgrims dropped anchor in Plymouth harbor. A codfish weathervane sits atop our

statehouse. The harvest of seafood from Massachusetts’ shores is a proud heritage albeit one that has been challenged of late by declining populations of every species of fish.

Thus we arrive at the intersection of the oyster and oyster farming. During the past 20 years more than 300

shellfish farms have been launched here in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; A nexus of new beginnings for both farmers and what is farmed. Whether “infancy” is harder for an oyster or an oyster farm is still up for debate.

About 99% of a given hatchery seed class will perish before its surviving siblings have a chance to be kissed by the

steely glint of a shucking knife. Similarly, aspiring farmers run a high risk of failing in their enterprise before their first oysters come to market. Raising anything from a seed, regardless of the crop, is not for the faint of heart.

If an oyster grower tells you they’ve sold more oysters than they’ve killed, they’re liars. After taking several

years to obtain a permit to farm, and if the forces of hard work and good luck align (big “If’s”), a new grower will then have a minimum of 18 months before they see a dime of revenue. There’s no manual for this type of work,

and the differences in the various environmental conditions of each site demands different suites of creative

husbandry solutions. In short, it takes a special kind of crazy for these intrepid shellfish entrepreneurs to even

consider jumping in with both feet. And the first 18 months of life will inevitably test whether both farmer and oyster is worth the salt that entwines their lives.

The farmed oyster has stepped up in a big way to fill the void left by declines in stocks of wild fish and

other shellfish. For the first time in Massachusetts’ sea faring memory we now have a sustainable fishery. This “industry” has ably picked up the thread left by our forebears who quite literally forged our society and culture

on the back of our saltwater bays and inlets mudflats and marshes. Growers are of many stripes. Some are

offshore fishermen looking for new ways to remain connected to the saltwater and carry that seagoing torch

into the future for the next generation. Some are modern professionals—lawyers, mortgage brokers, printer salesmen--seeking a second career or a second go at a calling. Regardless, they felt the pull of the tides and

the opportunity to be part of something destined to leave a lasting impact on this ancient coastline. They have cast their die and married their fate to a little bivalve, among nature’s most wondrous creations in her most wondrous of settings.

Remember the next time you’re wielding a shucking knife (or heaven forbid, a heaping spoonful of

cocktail sauce) that it takes two years to grow the oyster that you are about to slide down your gullet in less than 2 seconds!

Happy slurping.

• • • Chris Sherman is president of Island Creek Oysters, a Duxbury, MA based shellfish farm and distributor started in 1992 by Skip Bennett. Island Creek now sells over eleven million oysters annually through their e-commerce site, Duxbury retail store, and to 600 of the country’s best restaurants including five of their own properties here in New England.

Chris also chairs the company’s non-profit arm, Island Creek Oysters Foundation, which funds development projects that deploy aquaculture as an affordable, environmentally sound source of protein and jobs. The Foundation is active in

East Africa, Haiti, and the US. Chris serves as president of the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association, an industry group serving 100+ sustainable shellfish farm operators throughout the Commonwealth, and he is on the board of Caribbean Harvest Foundation, a Haitian NGO engaged in community-based tilapia production.

30

Mayflower Oysters Duxbury, MA

Joanne & Frank Costa

31

Duxbury Oyster Co.

Duxbury, MA

Kevin Thomson

32

Chatham Shellfish Co. Chatham, MA

Stephen Wright

33

Bryant Brothers Shellfish Marion, MA

Chris & Nat Bryant

34

Standish Shore Oyster Farm Duxbury, MA

Ben Lloyd & James Kearns

Worldwide two billion pounds of oysters are consumed each year.

36

Iona Seafarms Wellfleet, MA

Brad & Iona Kaplan

37

Holbrook Oyster Ranch

Wellfleet, MA

Jacob Dalby, Justin Dalby, Zack Dixon

38

Popponesset Oyster Co. Mashpee, MA

Evan Cook, Tim Cook, Dick Cook

39

Wellfleet’s Choice Seafood

Wellfleet, MA Allison Paine

40

Rock Oyster LLC Plymouth, MA

Michael Withington, Matthew Withington, Michael Withington Jr.

41

Plymouth Rock Oyster Growers Plymouth, MA

Connor & Beth Doyle

42

Barnstable Seafarms Barnstable, MA

Les Hemmila, Jared Hemmila, Scott Stevens

43

Riptide Oyster Farm;

Beach Plum Oyster Farm

Westport, MA

Kerian Fennelly

Archeologists have found mounds of oyster shells dating back to 6950BC.

45

Pilgrim Bay Oyster Farm

Plymouth, MA

Gene O’Shea, Nengsai O’Shea; David Ngo

46

Wellfleet’s Choice Seafood Wellfleet, MA

William “Chopper” Young, Jr.

47

Blue Moon Oyster Co.

Duxbury, MA

Joe Grady, Matt Grady, Kyle Hallisey

48

New Cove Oysters Duxbury, MA

Robby Woodruff & JB Marston

49

Fox Island Oyster Farm

Wellfleet, MA Clint Austin

50

Wash-Ashore Oyster Ranch Wellfleet, MA

R. Andrew Cummings & Patrick Kemple

51

Powder Point Shellfish Farm

Duxbury, MA Mike George

52

SIBOC Clam Partnership Wellfleet, MA Alfred Pickard

An oyster can live for up to 30 years.

54

Sweet Sound Oysters Duxbury, MA

John Brawley & Ollie (the dog)

55

Jones River Oyster Farm Kingston, MA

John & Karen Wheble; Dustin Starr; Tyler Heath

56

Merry Oysters Duxbury, MA

Don Merry & Benjamin Merry

57

New Cove Oysters Duxbury, MA

William McCormack

58

Tesson Oyster Farm Wellfleet, MA

Edward W. Tesson

59

Chatham Shellfish Co. Chatham, MA

Elisabeth “Lisa” Richards & John Richards

60

Bayridge Shellfish Co. Duxbury, MA Brian Zec

61

First Light Oysters Mashpee, MA

Kris Clark; Mark Harding; Stan Dutra

62

Wellfleet Bay Oyster Co. Wellfleet, MA John Connor

63

Oyster Lane

Wellfleet, MA

Brandon Patrode & Will Barrio

64

Field Point Oyster Farm Wellfleet, MA

Michael DeVasto & Katie Murphy

65

Devon B

Wellfleet, MA

Gary Burgess

An oyster filters 30-50 gallons of water per day.

67

Hold Fast Fisheries Eastham, MA

Chris Crobar

68

Tweets Oyster Farm Wellfleet, MA

Aaron Francis & Jermain Taylor

69

Crash Seafood Inc. Truro, MA

Rachel & Jeffrey Souza

70

Spring Creek Oyster Co. Barnstable, MA

Scott Laurie & Tina Laurie

71

Wellfleet’s Choice Seafood

Wellfleet, MA Bob Kellogg

72

Barnstable Oyster Co. Barnstable, MA

Tamar Haspel & Kevin Flaherty

73

Sunken Meadow Shellfish

Eastham, MA

Russ Sandblom

74

Ashworth Shellfish Barnstable, MA Nancy Ashworth

75

Wellfleet’s Choice Seafood

Wellfleet, MA Joel Fox

76

Ashworth Shellfish Barnstable, MA Rob Ashworth

77

Chatham Shellfish Co., Great Island Oysters Chatham, MA

Bradley Braginton-Smith, Stevens Pierre

!

THANKS

This project took its shape through the kindness and generosity of others. I want to say thanks here to the people who made these portraits happen.

Chris Sherman of Island Creek Oysters and President of the Massachusetts Aquaculture Association introduced me to the MAA membership and helped me kick off this project. Thanks to Gardner Loring for introducing me to Chris Sherman. Don Wilkinson of Ichabod Flats Oyster Co in Plymouth gets my combination “Unsung HeroMVP Award”; Don was my first subject and immediately became the project’s strongest advocate and supporter from start to finish. His tireless cold calling efforts were the reason so many of his fellow farmers found their way to my various pop-up studios and were willing to have their portraits made. This project would not have happened without Don. Craig Bloodgood is the Contemporary Curator at the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, and he sought me out in the Duxbury Pop-up studio to express his interest in this work. Thanks to him and the Art Complex Museum for their wonderful exhibition of many of the portraits found on these pages. Dave Ryan of Cape Cod Oyster Co. has been a good friend and strong supporter of this project. He allowed me to shoot in the CCOC barn and coordinated all of the subjects with farms in and around Barnstable. Dave is one of the most capable people I have ever met. Big thanks also go to Chuck Leonard, Cap Kane, Duxbury Bay Maritime School, Rulon Wilcox, Dick & Terry Albright, and David Reault and the Wellfleet Harbor Masters for their kindness in arranging or hosting my pop-up studios. Thanks to Andrew Marshall of the Cape Cod Oyster Company for giving me permission to use his drone photographs on the cover as well as on some inside pages.

Most importantly, I want to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the hard working oyster farmers who so generously allowed me to take these portraits....photographing you was my great privilege.

o y s t e r f a r m e r s p o r t r a i t s o f a s u s ta i n a b l e w at e r f r o n t b y J i m H o o p e r