Above: Maine Shellfish Developers solar-powered oyster-growing facility in Waldoboro, Maine.
pearl farming behind,” Pryor says wryly. Oysters are big business in their own right. Close to two million oysters are harvested from a single room in a year, according to Pryor, who has been recognized by groups such as the United Nations for his innovation. In 1982, at the German European Food Fair, he won the outstanding food product award. “Nobody’s doing what we’re doing,” he says. For Pryor, oysters are not simply an acquired taste. “You’re missing a gourmet experience,” he says.
Left: Pryor pioneered land-based oyster farming in Hawaii circa 1980.
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