The Farming Process

The process of shellfish aquaculture takes at least two years to harvest from seed to market size.

XL Oysters acquires juvenile single-seed Sydney Rock Oysters from a hatchery, that are slightly older than the minuscule spats but still measured in millimetres. Buying a slightly larger seed of 10ml means the oysters have a greater chance of survival.

These juveniles are then grown in intertidal trays followed by floating bags and are regularly manually brought back ashore to sort and tumble to encourage rounder growth, deeper cups and more marketable looking oysters. This dual process means they remain in the water for their entire growth so the shell gets harder and matures earlier reaching about 70ml in size.

Being an oyster farmer involves a lot of physical work in all environmental conditions, but when your office is the water the work is very rewarding.