Sean Crosby gives a behind-the-scenes look at the Kachemak Shellfish Growers' oyster hatchery in Homer, Alaska - an operation that's helping to fuel the state's mariculture boom.
Since Pacific oysters (Magallana gigas) were shucked over from Japan to Alaska in 1910, the mouthwatering molluscs have become a cornerstone of the Alaskan mariculture scene. Because of their size, adaptability and taste, Pacific oysters have become the most important oysters on Earth, farmed worldwide. With North American oyster beds in varying stages of fluctuation, Alaska is in a good position to boost its market share.
"Around 15 years ago, we decided to build an oyster hatchery here. None of us had ever done it before," recalls Sean Crosby, manager of Kachemak Shellfish Growers, a co-op that buys and sells oysters from farmers around Alaska's picturesque Kachemak Bay.
"The Alaskan shellfish industry was legalised only in 1989, so no one really knew how to grow oysters. The Kachemak Shellfish Mariculture Association was established in 1994 to help develop hatchery protocols and grow-out systems for budding oyster farmers," Crosby explains.