Karen Rivara was inspired to be a Marine Biologist while watching the “Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” on television when she was twelve. She graduated from Southampton College. LIU in 1981 with a degree in Marine Science. She began working at the Shinnecock Tribe Oyster Project in 1983 as a Research Technician for Dr. Robert Malouf, MSRC, SUNY Stony Brook. That is where Karen fell in love with shellfish farming. She has worked in commercial hatcheries, including the Bluepoints Company hatchery, in West Sayville as well as the Shinnecock hatchery.

Karen is president of Aeros Cultured Oyster Company, Inc., a company she and her business partner, Jim Markow began in 1994 as a hatchery in the basement of his house. She moved the hatchery to Shellfisher Preserve, a Peconic Land Trust property, in Southold in 2004 after setting up the Noank Cooperative hatchery in Noank, CT. She is a founding member of the Noank Aquaculture Cooperative (2000), East End Marine Farmers Association (2001), the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association (2002) and is the past president of the Long Island Farm Bureau.

Karen was drawn to shellfish mariculture because it is very satisfying to produce something she has grown from a fertilized egg. She also hopes that this work will help make the Long Island Estuaries she works in more productive.

FARMERS: Karen Rivara (owner); Marty Byrnes; Katie Marino

FARM LOCATION: Southold Bay

OYSTER VARIETIES: Seed shellfish - oysters, hard clams and bay scallops

FLAVOR PROFILE: Shellfish seed are bred to be healthy and fast growing

WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT: Purchase directly from the farmers

WEBSITE: www.noankcooperative.org

Cornell Oysters is a family run oyster farm culturing a “Crassostrea Virginica” oyster also known as the Atlantic or East Coast oyster.  Our variety is a young, salty & sweet oyster with a smooth and creamy finish.  We take pride in our oysters  and continually strive to deliver a clean and perfectly shaped oyster.  You can find our oyster farm between the The North Fork and The Hamptons in “Hog Neck Bay” a part of the Peconic Bay in Southold, NY.  All of our oysters are taken directly from the bay the day of delivery. That's as fresh as you can get them!  We operate year round and are currently taking new retail customers. 

FARMERS: Tom and Roger Cornell

FARM LOCATION: Hog Neck Bay, Southold, NY

OYSTER NAME: Cornell Oysters

FLAVOR PROFILE: A young, briny & sweet oyster with a smooth and creamy finish.

WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT: 1770 House; Bobby Vans; Bostwick’s Chowder House; Legends; The Frisky Oyster

WEBSITE: www.cornelloysters.net

Connor Burke is the president and operator of Eastern Bays Company, based in the Peconic Bay. Connor is a graduate of SUNY Maritime College and loves combining his passion for aquaculture and growing a sustainable, delicious oyster. Connor and his family currently reside in Cutchogue, New York.

FARMERS: Connor Burke

FARM LOCATION: Peconic Bay, near Jamesport, NY

OYSTER NAME: Iron Point oysters in various sizes

FLAVOR PROFILE: Eastern Bays grows oysters in the Peconic Bay, which produces a briny, refreshing oyster with a distinct flavor of its beautiful terroir.

WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT: Directly from farmer

WEBSITE: Coming Soon!

INSTAGRAM: @easternbaysoysterco

After more than 3 decades as a TV producer for ABC News and the documentary world,  there came an opportunity for a course change. A love of all things water brought Steven Schnee to the North Fork. He learned the art of growing oysters by volunteering at The Cornell Marine Center and their Southold Project in Aquaculture Training (SPAT). With an underwater grant that dates back centuries, The Founders Oyster Farm got its start on a piece of seabed in the pristine waters of Peconic Bay.  

FARMERS: Steven Schnee

FARM LOCATION: Peconic Bay - Southold, NY grown off bottom using rack and bag method between Peconic Landing, Paradise Point and Shelter Island

OYSTER VARIETIES: Crustacea Virginica - East Coast Oyster

FLAVOR PROFILE: Founders Oysters have a delicious brine flavor with a taste of the sea with every bite

WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT: First and South; Port; Sparkling Point Oyster Showcase; Greenport Brewery Oyster Fest; Purchase directly from the farmer

WEBSITE: www.foundersoysterfarm.com

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/foundersoysters/

Paul McCormick grew up fishing, clamming, and crabbing on the south shore of Long Island. He received his undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Cornell University and worked for a number of years as a full-time clammer on the Great South Bay. After a twenty year stint as an educational assessment writer, he returned to the water in 2013 and established the Great Gun Shellfish Farm in Moriches Bay.

FARMER: Paul McCormick

FARM LOCATION: Moriches Bay

OYSTER NAMES:  Great Gun (regs) and Little Gun (select petites)

FLAVOR PROFILE: Briefly sharp and salty up front, then mellows into a sweet, buttery flavor and texture. Finishes with sweet garlic undertones that linger for quite a while.

WHERE TO FIND THE OYSTERS: Purchase directly from the farmer.

INSTAGRAM: @greatgunshellfish 

We are Peconic Gold Oysters.  A boutique oyster farm located in Great Peconic Bay, Long Island, NY. Our goal is to continue the legendary tradition of Oystering on Long Island and produce the best half shell oyster on the East Coast. We work for the environment and the environment works for us. Sustainable practices help give back to the waters that provide us with our livelihood.  

Our farm is on a 10-acre plot on a shallow water bank in Great Peconic Bay. There is an abundance of algae blooms in these shallow waters while cool upwelling currents deliver nutrients from the deep. The nearby Peconic River provides a unique input of minerals. It is believed that the iron supplied by the river and the algae that bloom in the shallow waters combine to produce the gold color apparent on our oysters' shells throughout the growing season. We've noticed that an edible red algae, Gracillaria (seaweed salad) also thrives here. It is this combination of environmental factors acting in perfect harmony that combine perfectly to make for a cool, crisp, sweet flavor, and creamy texture, with a slightly metallic and smoky finish.

FARMER: Matt Ketcham

FARM LOCATION: Great Peconic Bay

OYSTER NAME: Peconic Gold Oysters

FLAVOR PROFILE: Cool, crisp, and sweet in flavor. Creamy texture, with a slightly metallic and smoky finish.

WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT: Frisky Oyster, Little Creek Oyster Market, Noah's, First and South, Salt, Sag Harbor Barrons Cove, Bell and Anchor, Lombardis on the Bay, Catch Oyster Bar, Porters on the Lane, and Brauns Seafood Company. You can also purchase directly from the farmer!

WEBSITE: www.ketchamsseafarm.com

FROM CITY TO SEASIDE

Little Ram Oyster Company is a female-owned and operated family business that was established in 2018 by Elizabeth Peeples and Stefanie Bassett. Surrounded by wineries, local farmers, fresh seafood, pristine beaches and some of the friendliest people you will meet, the couple planted a seed in the North Fork of Long Island after 17-year careers in NYC… and they couldn’t be happier! When the ladies aren’t shucking, shlepping or slurping, they are taking care of their new baby boy, Finn!

FARMERS: Elizabeth Peeples and Stefanie Bassett

FARM LOCATION: Gardiners Bay

OYSTER VARIETIES: Little Ram Oysters

FLAVOR PROFILE: The company’s signature oyster. While small to medium in size, they pack a serious punch. Crisp minerality, medium salinity, clean and delicious. An oyster that tastes like vacation!

WHERE TO PURCHASE THE OYSTERS: Farmstand; Online

WEBSITE: www.littleramoysters.com

Lucky 13 Oysters grows genuine Blue Points, an appellation that can only appropriately be bestowed on oysters from the Great South Bay. Crisp and briny, our Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) benefit from a plankton-rich shallow bay, as well as the tidal influx of cold, saline-rich ocean water that flows through the Fire Island Inlet.

FARMERS: Matt Welling and Max Haspel

FARM LOCATION: Great South Bay

OYSTER VARIETIES: Lucky 13’s

FLAVOR PROFILE:

WHERE TO FIND THE OYSTERS: Purchase directly from the farmers

WEBSITE: www.lucky13oysters.com

FARMERS: Phil Mastrangelo and Brian Tuthill

FARM LOCATION: Orient and Greenport. 2mm seed is started in Oysterponds Creek in Orient, then transferred to the bay for final grow out.

OYSTER VARIETIES: Atlantic oysters- XL, regular, and petite

FLAVOR PROFILE: Briny with a vegetal finish

WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT: The Halyard; North Fork Table & Inn; Little Creek; Rocko’s Caddy Shack; Brauns Seafood Market; Blue Island Oyster Co; West Sayville.

WEBSITE: oysterpondsshellfish.com

Peconic Baykeeper is a 501 (C)(3) Not-For-Profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring Long Island's swimmable, drinkable and fishable waters. Established in 1998 as Long Island's clean water advocate, Peconic Baykeeper uses science, education and law to defend critical watersheds from the Peconic Estuary through the South Shore Bays. Peconic Baykeeper is a proud member of the international Waterkeeper movement, working actively with civic groups, baymen, businesses, children, and the community at large to protect and restore water quality and the island's watersheds.

WEBSITE: www.peconicbaykeeper.org

Peconic Pearls are premium oysters grown by members of the Noank Aquaculture Cooperative in Southold Bay, NY.  They are also the oyster that gives back.  Five cents from every oyster sold goes back to research and education projects that benefit the health of the Peconic Estuary.  

FARMER: Melanie Douglass grew up working on the water with her family’s business Douglass Marine.  She continued her education at SUNY Maritime College earning an undergraduate degree in meteorology and oceanography with a minor in environmental science.  After a five year stint as a fish farmer, she has found her home with the Peconic Pearls and an awesome crew consisting of Karen Rivara, Martin Byrnes, and Katie Marino.

FARM LOCATION: Southold Bay, NY

OYSTER/SHELLFISH VARIETIES: Peconic Pearls, In-Shell Scallops

FLAVOR PROFILE: Peconic Pearls are a deep cup oyster with a signature sweetness and delicate brine typical to the Peconic Estuary.  The mineral finish is always a pleasant surprise.

WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT: Southold Fish Market; Paumanok Vineyard; Little Creek Oyster; Various Local Events

WEBSITE: www.peconicpearls.org

Established in 2016, Promised Land Mariculture is a family owned and operated farm in East Hampton, New York producing Lazy Point Oysters. We started the company to produce the most sustainable marine protein on earth. As one of the most eastern farms on Long Island, we receive a constant tidal flow of clean, crisp oceanic water that creates a dynamic taste and deep cups.

FARMER: Adam, Sam and Charlotte Younes

FARM LOCATION: Napeague Bay, East Hampton, NY

OYSTER NAME: Lazy Points

FLAVOR PROFILE: Robust, creamy texture that hits you with splash of seawater followed by a moment of sweetness leaving you with mineral tones. Lazy Points’ flavor changes seasonally depending on the water temperature, precipitation and even just your mood. Let your mouth decide! 

WHERE TO FIND THE OYSTERS: Inlet Seafood Restaurant, Montauk, Duryea's, Shagwong, Morty's Oyster Stand and Swallow East. More restaurants on the way! Check our website! 

WEBSITE: www.lazypointoysters.com

Dave Wood is the old-timer at Sebonac Inlet Oyster Farm.  He got his start on the water in the late 1950’s as a young boy when his parents owned a fishing station in New Suffolk L.I..  During most of the years of his life, the wild-harvesting of clams, mussels, oysters, and scallops were his part-time, full-time, and recreational pursuits.  Following 30 years as a Special Educator at a local school district, where he met his like-minded, salty partners Kevin and Ken, Dave learned about the art and science of aquaculture by raising his own oysters through the help of Cornell Cooperative’s SPAT Program at Southampton Town’s Tiana Beach in East Quogue.  It was there that he received the inspiration to begin oyster farming in Great Peconic Bay.  

Kevin Fey has been around the water for his whole life.  Growing up in Lindenhurst L.I., Kevin dug clams in Great South Bay during his school years.  When he wasn’t digging clams, he could usually be found somewhere between Democrat Point and Montauk Point catching Stripers, or whatever other fish were in season.  He is known to be able to catch fish when nobody else is able to catch them.  We are still not sure how he manages to do this, but the phenomenon has been witnessed by many.  Kevin learned about oyster aquaculture from the SPAT Program and instantly became hooked.  He now brings his uncanny abilities to our Farm.

Ken Krause has also been around the water for his whole life.  Growing up in Mt. Sinai L.I., Ken has been a fisherman for as long as he can remember.  As the owner of several boats during his life, he is an expert at recreationally fishing the waters anywhere from Mt. Sinai Harbor, to the Hudson Canyon, and northward to Lake Ontario during the Fall Salmon runs each year.  He has also been known to dig a few clams and look-box a few scallops.  Like Dave and Kevin, Ken received training in the raising of oysters with the SPAT program as well.   Among his other positive attributes, Ken brings his enviable knowledge of boats, the waters, and all things physical and mechanical to our Farm.  

We at Sebonac Inlet Oyster Farm planted our first oysters in September 2018, and as we have just recently started operations, we will not have oysters for sale until the first crop of “Sebonac Teacups” matures and passes the rigid set of standards that we place on any oyster that we would consider worthy of our names and our goal, which is to produce the “Finest Oysters Known to Man.”  

FARMERS: Dave Wood, Kevin Fey, and Ken Krause

FARM LOCATION: Great Peconic Bay

OYSTER NAMES: Sebonac Teacups

FLAVOR PROFILE: Delicious!

WEBSITE: www.sebonacinletoysterfarm.com

Ever since Ben Gonzalez and his husband, Dave Daly, purchased a home on the North Fork of Long Island, they have dreamed about living there full time. After many years of Friday evening commutes on the Long Island Railroad and Sunday night schlepps into the city on the Jitney, they moved out of the city in 2015 to start Southold Bay Oysters and settle down full time in Southold, NY. 2017 was the first commercial harvest for Southold Bay Oysters. Ben and Dave currently attend events around the North Fork to showcase their new local oysters, known as Southold Shindigs.  

FARMERS: Ben Gonzalez and Dave Daly

FARM LOCATION: Southold Bay

OYSTER VARIETIES: Southold Shindig Oysters (Shindigs)

FLAVOR PROFILE: Southold Shindigs are grown in deep water in the center of Southold Bay.  Their taste profile begins with a briny burst that quickly transitions to a smooth vignette with a hint of sweetness and mineral finish.

WHERE TO FIND THE OYSTERS:

-Overnight Shipping within NY Tri-State Area through online orders

-Local pickup at our farm

-Pop-up raw bars at local wineries and events

-Venues announced on Facebook (follow us)

-Local Restaurants in the North Fork- Little Creek Oyster Farm and Market, Noah’s Greenport, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, Tap Room at Corey Creek

WEBSITE: www.southoldbayoysters.com

FARMERS: Chuck Westfall and Sean O’Brien

FARM LOCATION: Great South Bay

OYSTER VARIETIES: Blue Points

FLAVOR PROFILE:

WHERE TO FIND THE OYSTERS:

WEBSITE: Thatch Island Oyster Farm Instagram

Every Violet Cove oyster is sustainability grown on an idyllic farm between two ocean inlets that nourish our hand raised and tide crafted oysters with pristine briny goodness.

Violet Cove uses a floating cage method of farming

FARMER: Sue Wicks comes from a family of baymen, boat builders, sea captains and the occasional rum runner - after a Hall of Fame basketball career and stint as sports ambassador for the US State department, Sue is so happy to be back home on beautiful Long Island growing oysters.

FARM LOCATION: Moriches Bay, East Moriches, Long Island, NY

OYSTER VARIETIES: Eastern Oysters, cocktail size

FLAVOR PROFILE: “You are eating the sea, that’s it, only the sensation of a gulp of seawater has been wafted out of it by some sorcery, and are on the verge of remembering: you don’t know what, mermaids or a sudden smell of kelp on the Ebbtide or a poem you once read, Something connected with the flavor of life itself.” -Eleanor Clark 

WHERE TO FIND THE PRODUCT: Direct from farmer

INSTAGRAM: @violetcoveoysterco

It all started on Fishers Island’s Isabella Beach in 2015. Founders Will Peckham and Walker Lourie sat on the sand in early September after a long summer. Somewhere between the beach and the oysters Will and Walker hatched the idea of starting an oyster farm of their own – of updating tradition, farming regeneratively, and doing good & well.

They couldn’t kick the idea.

FARMERS: Will Peckham and Walker Lourie

FARM LOCATION: West of Robins Island

OYSTER VARIETIES: Classique Robins and Petite Robins

FLAVOR PROFILE: Briny on the nose, finishes with subtle taste of Peconic Bay minerality and buttery vegetation

WHERE TO FIND THE OYSTERS: Directly from West Robins and select South Fork restaurants

WEBSITE: www.westrobins.com

The Westhampton Beach Hatchery facility is on a canal in Westhampton Beach. For several decades the facilities business was selling lobster, fish, clams, oyster to both the restaurant and retail customers. Our key asset is a clean saltwater which we pump from a 200 deep saltwater well. This salt water is almost completely bacterium-free saltwater used in the providing sand free shellfish. In 2015, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation permitted us as the shellfish hatchery. Today our principal business is the spawning and growing of oyster seed that we sell to professional oyster Bay farmers.

FARMER: John McDonough

FARM LOCATION: Westhampton Beach

OYSTER VARIETIES: Diploid Oyster Seed

FLAVOR PROFILE:

WHERE TO FIND THE OYSTERS:

WEBSITE: westhamptonbeachhatchery.com

Michael and Isabel Osinski started Widow's Hole Oysters in 2002 after leaving Wall Street. They were inspired by Greenport's rich history as the oyster capital of New York in the early 1900's. As their children, Susanna and Mercator, grew up, they also became an integral part of the farm. For the last 17 years, they have continued their small family farm and deliver delicious oysters to top tier restaurants in NYC; including Eleven Madison, Le Bernadin, Grand Central Oyster Bar, and many others. They also sell to local restaurants out in Greenport during the summer.

The Osinski's use Australian gear with the Japanese method of growing oysters, called the kusshi method. This allows the oysters to hang between the high and low tide mark to produce a cleaner, fatter, healthier, and richer tasting oyster.

The farm also gives tours, check out their website to find more info!

FARMERS: Michael, Isabel, Susanna, and Mercator Osinski

FARM LOCATION: Widow's Hole, Greenport Harbor

OYSTER NAMES: Widow's Hole Oysters; kusshi oysters (method of growing)

WHERE TO FIND THE OYSTERS: Directly from the farm

WEBSITE: www.widowsholeoysters.com

INSTAGRAM: @widowsholeoysters