An expedition to PEI to capture the start of oyster season.
Last week, three of our teammates set off on an excursion to Prince Edward Island, where they were fully immersed in the world of responsible shellfishing.
Our trip was led by Troy, our sustainable seafood seeker and PEI native who knows everyone and their mother (literally). We were well equipped with a knowledgeable tour guide as we landed in Charlottetown just in time for the opening of the fall oyster season on September 15. The launch date leaves time for the oyster to reproduce, with fishermen only fishing until early December, and again in spring from May to early August. With excitement in the air, we saw over 70 fishermen ready to get back on the water before sunrise despite 50 km winds, fog, and the nasty cold.
Scroll through the photos below to catch a glimpse of a day in the life of true PEI oyster and mussel fishermen and the full story of our partners PEAF and Five Star Shellfish.
Wild oyster fishing - Mill River, PEI
The night before the big first day, Troy’s cousin Wayne walked us through how he preps. With 20 years of experience, he knows the tricks of the trade and stocks his dory (aka oyster boat) carefully, making sure he has all his tongs and boxes packed and that his boat license is up to date.
On the day of the launch, Wayne wakes before sunrise and heads down to the Mill River slip where fishermen launch their boats. Starting about 15 minutes before dawn, the first day is where you’ll see the most folks with everyone eager to get back on the water. These fishermen get paid by the oyster - so slacking simply isn’t an option. But the hard work doesn’t scare Wayne, who grew up on a family farm with ten siblings, helping out his parents since he was just knee-high.
Once the boat launched, the fishermen head to a shallow area where they know they’ll find oysters. Using two claw-like wooden tongs, they pull the oysters living at the bottom of the river up onto their boat. A method that barely (if at all) disturbs the bottom of the river system.
Once the oysters are on the boat, they’re sorted using a small metal tool attached to the side. They throw back any that are smaller than three inches and separate baby oysters (called spat) that latch onto mature ones - impeding overfishing and allowing them to be harvested the next year. After about 10 hours on the water, the fishermen drops his catch off at the Five Star Shellfish truck (waiting about five minutes up the road) to be brought to the processing facility.
Oyster fishing is completely independent with each fisherman having the freedom to choose who they sell to. Many of them sell to Five Star who’ve been out in the water fishing wild oysters since they were teens. Not only do they know the industry like the back of their hand, they also know all the fishermen they work with by name.
Five Star Shellfish - Milligan's Wharf, PEI.
Over at Five Star Shellfish, you’ll find brothers Wyatt and Gordon and their team who started back in 2000. Troy sought them out when he first started building our seafood category because his father Johnny had been selling oysters to them for over 22 years, trusting their process from start to finish.
When the oysters get to Five Star, they’re sorted, graded, and cleaned before being placed in small cages that are set back into the water until an order is made. Things are looking good for oysters this year, and with a high demand and good weather, they expect to be putting in long days - a relief to the industry after the dip caused by the pandemic. Our delivery trucks head to Five Star twice a week, meaning that they’re the freshest you can find in all of Quebec.
Prince Edward Aqua Farms - New London, PEI.
Next, our team headed to New London water’s edge for a tour of the facility at Prince Edward Aqua Farms (PEAF). PEI mussel farmers are leaders in the sustainable fishing industry. Similar to oysters, they work with shellfish found in their natural habitat, altering nothing along the way. We were led by Jerry, their general manager, a Newfoundlander who moved to PEI and has been attracted to the inherent sustainability of the mussel industry.
At the mercy of Mother Nature, we weren’t able to get on the boat this year as the winds were much too high. Because the socks are so heavy, the team was worried that if they took them out of the water they would blow right off - instead they walked us through their facility and gave us the low-down on what happens on shore.
Walking our team through their facility, Jerry explained the process from seed to plate. Every spring, mussels release many seeds when they spawn, that workers then collect using a specific line tool, where they then form a hard shell called spat. They’re then stripped and put in socks (aka mesh tubes) that are placed back in the river where they’ll mature and grow for about a year.
Only once PEAF receives an order, they go out to retrieve the socks. They’re then brought into the processing facility, where they’re placed into electric or hydraulic machines (nearly all made in Charlottetown) that pull them out of their socks and bring them down a conveyor belt to the washing station.
This is where they get graded into different sizes and placed into wet storage. Every tank has an air hose, pumping in oxygen and salt water from the river - helping control the temperature and minimize loss.
The mussels are separated again, and packed to order in a temperature-controlled environment. All the broken shells and discarded matter’s ground down into what they call aqua grow, and sent to farmers to fertilize their fields - wasting nothing from start to finish. Jerry emphasized that the community is made up of three companies that work harmoniously, all using a similar streamlined process.
Thanks to Troy and his gracious family, our journey out east deepened our first-hand knowledge of the sustainable shellfish industry. From fishermen putting in long days, to their meticulous and technologically advanced processing system, we were in awe every step of the way. Oh, and the oysters weren’t so bad either!
