https://www.niceoystercompany.com/contact daily 0.75 2021-02-19 https://www.niceoystercompany.com/about daily 0.75 2021-02-11 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/6007301912f2b025dd22a02c/1611083822734/Yes%252BSmiling%252BDana_oysters_late%252Bsun%252B%252528V%252529%252BD7G_4086-X4.jpg About Us - dana morse I took the long way around in getting to this farm. My background is in wildlife (B.S.) and fishing gear technology (M.S.). I’d fished a little commercially, sold aquaculture gear, worked on an oyster farm, and done a fair bit of collaborative research in fisheries. In my day job (which I adore) I do extension work with aquaculture and fishing, and at one point I figured - ‘why not start a farm?’ As it turns out, it’s been a terrifically educational, enjoyable and rewarding activity. Even though Mother Nature is doing 99% of the work here, there’s something fine indeed about growing a product that we can take pride in, and having others appreciate it - and the work that went into it. Photo by David Gray https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/5f9642e3be52035b2a91945a/1612491136239/Truck+sticker.JPG About Us Look for Iron Island Oysters in some of Maine’s smartest restaurants! https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/60176a1299cc3e59419ed4b7/1613007188154/Dana+John+boat+basket+D7G_4031-X5.jpg About Us Photo by David Gray Not every work day is as nice as this one but the river is always beautiful. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/600730597b89863143ed2683/1611083886871/Yes%2525252BJohn%2525252Bbacklit_baskets_Oh%2525252Bshut%2525252Bup.jpg About Us - john swenson As a kid growing up in New Jersey, I spent my summers on Barnegat Bay and earned college funds clamming, though I unsuccessfully tried to farm them. College at Middlebury, grad school in the Stevens Institute of Technology, and 30 years working at Bell Labs intervened, where my assignments brought me in contact with truly remarkable people, world-wide. We retired to Bath in 2002. Serendipitously, I happened on a news article regarding an oyster-growing class. I contacted the leader, Dana Morse, and joined the next class he led. Photo by David Gray https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/5f9644b113ab7749e588c67c/1613007936502/Yes+D+_+J+river+backdrop_Happy+again.jpg About Us Photo by David Gray Turns out, we’re a great team. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/60072d86e254510aed8ba258/1612491098482/john%2Bdana%2Bpeppers.jpg About Us We’re happy to be customers, too. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/60177938ee56b502390f5312/1612151948450/glamshot1+crop_small.png About Us The mature oysters are scrubbed, bagged, and shipped to market. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/60072d43ea6b865d8c9b0c82/1612150614409/D%2BJ%2Bsorting%2Bon%2Bdeck%2BDSC_1620.jpg About Us We sort and inspect every oyster. https://www.niceoystercompany.com/farm daily 0.75 2021-02-11 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/6015ea51f444774bdfc0c0d2/1612148658031/Yes+John+offering+oyster+to+boater_adJ+DSC_3768.png Nice Oyster Farm https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/5ebec28aa2c5c77d37b24ff7/1614361576212/Yes+J%2BD+at+table.jpg Nice Oyster Farm Photo by David Gray harvest time To harvest Iron Island oysters, we hand select and wash them on the boat. Then we count, bag, and store market-size oysters immediately on ice. From there, we deliver directly to our wholesalers and to select restaurants. Regulations do permit us to sell oysters direct to consumers from our homes, too. Give us a call, text your request, or drop us a line and we’ll be happy to arrange it with you. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/5ebee4b5111c321e3e77dfe6/1612613725020/Yes%2BPile%2Bof%2Bbabies_IMG_8771.jpg Nice Oyster Farm seed oysters The magic all starts here, with seed oysters; these tiny mollusks come to us at about 3mm. The small pile in the photo above actually contains 50,000 seed oysters. From the time that we receive our new crop of oyster seed (usually late June or early July), it’s about 14 months until we can begin harvesting a few fast growers from that year class. But, commonly we have at least some of each crop through two winters and parts of three summers. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/60074793d4931b6c9f5aea2c/1613566162415/Yes%2BRiley%2Bpix%2BIron%2BIsland%2Btag%2Bevent%2BIMG_3129.jpg Nice Oyster Farm our process Iron Island oysters are grown in floating bags on the surface of the New Meadows River in Maine. It’s not at all ergonomic for us as we work, but the oysters grow best up where it’s warmest, and where food is plentiful. We flip the bags once a week or so to maintain good water flow to the oysters inside. Since this part of the New Meadows often ices over quite heavily in the wintertime, we put the oysters into cages that sit on the seabed from November or December through early April. If it sounds like a lot of work to move all those cages and oysters - it is! Oyster farming is still farming, and that means a ton of elbow grease, but you can’t cut corners if you’re trying to raise the best oysters that you possibly can. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/601d7e9ec96ac310764bfc87/1612545757764/Hand_oyster+basket+adj_reduce+DSC_0467.png Nice Oyster Farm - robust, healthy oysters It’s hard to imagine that seed oysters could grow to full size so quickly. But they do. And our survival rate overwintering is very high, cutting our costs in the spring. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/5ebf2fd26b2a4023721b7fbe/1589587966032/FB+mist+glassy+water+22853311_718681024988041_6181552700496474165_n.jpg Nice Oyster Farm https://www.niceoystercompany.com/photos daily 0.75 2021-02-07 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/60176944232db833a87cfb9a/1612736473938/DSC_0499.jpeg Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/6016f6d9b7924c0649012d8c/1612548874673/Canaan+smiling_basket+adj_n.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601701eeee56b5023903c4e4/1612548874680/Nicky+scallop+adj.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/6007380125c5900e4c302909/1589586525201/FB+Sue+Dana+64883352_1074767872712686_6092015938025029632_n.jpg Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/600738207801e54fa0b922f9/1589585020701/Bobby+daughter+IMG_7091.JPG Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/60170b109ee8cd3b25f6be60/1612548874691/scallop+Dave+adj+copy.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/60170629f444774bdfd12cac/1612548874688/Mark+Burke-yellow+pants+adj+.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/6016f6fd74b1fb4ada62e254/1612548874677/Guy+smiling_hauling+bag+adj.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601702a2ee56b5023903d60d/1612548874683/Sarah+guest+worker+adj.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601cac3df572af5fea89b1e9/1612548874698/Dana+holding+oyster+DSC_1597.jpeg Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601d9bcac3ef514edab3ec1a/1612553165088/Canaan+smiling_basket+adj_n.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/6007395773c39b3f52fae596/1612736490328/FB+Youngs+slurp+13235123_497086177147528_606973079243233686_o.jpg Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601dafa5ba7bfc2a3fee102f/1612577093157/brenda+crop+low+res.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/6016ed86cf4b097cfcae0d0f/1612548874666/Riley+close+up_FB+42948899_906146532908155_7168815740085075968_o.jpg Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601d96647f752c4323e5ffa1/1612551793500/John+oyster_sharp+adj.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601d9b7a7affa87cb4247ab8/1612553100279/Dana+holding+oyster_adj_DSC_1597.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601daec250bac967bc3f2474/1612558022366/Party+plate+2016+adj.png Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601daeebdbf9e00c736bf6ac/1612558069200/Riley+close+up42734931_906146502908158_4133006540284100608_o.jpg Photos https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/600731a8f1cc7e23c96720d5/601db43ff6ab14290a90b08c/1612575222812/4+guys+end+of+season+adj+1.png Photos https://www.niceoystercompany.com/ironislandoysters daily 1.0 2021-05-03 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/5f9634fd7203037f62b78681/1612793407755/Yes%252BOyster%252Bclose%252Bup_VERTICAL_IMG_8639.jpg Iron Island Oysters - iron island oysters Try our oysters throughout the year because they offer a seasonal variation of flavors that’s an adventure all on its own. In late winter and early spring, before the dandelions bloom, our oysters are surprisingly full, with a mild taste and a sweet finish. In the summertime, when the swallows are racing in and out of the barn and the young ones are trying out their new wings, you’ll find our oysters to be downright bold and not at all shy; full salt and a tang that stands up all on its own, complementing a mignonette or dressing when grilled. In the fall, around about the time that the leaves have turned and the wind starts to sneak towards the easterly, the salt remains, but you’ll get a rich, lasting umami flavor as the oysters fatten for winter. In all seasons, Iron Island Oysters have good shuckability and are full-meated. We named our business the NICE Oyster Company, because every time we tried them, or gave them to friends, they said “Oh, those oysters are nice.” We hope you agree. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ebd6d2ce989c9216ec821b8/t/5ebf02d031cd67298f659c2f/1612612166070/Yes+Riley+Buy+on+River_DSC_3938.jpg Iron Island Oysters - If you’re on the New Meadows River, pull up and say hello!