GRAND ISLE, La. —
Full Article: https://www.wdsu.com/article/alternative-oyster-culture-a-different-way-to-farm-is-gaining-popularity-in-louisiana/42925622
Alternative oyster culture, also known as "AOC," is a different way to farm oysters.
Farmers buy the seed from a hatchery and grow the oysters in floating cages.
“It’s got some advantages to it,” says Kirk Curole, owner of Bayside Oyster Company. “The wild oysters are great. But these oysters are grown about 2 inches underneath the surface of the water, and it's where all the good phytoplankton and dissolved oxygen is. So they have the perfect environment.”
This ideal environment, and the fact that they are cross-bred, two-chromosome oysters, means they grow quickly. For perspective, it can take two to three years for a wild oyster to grow to 3 inches. An AOC oyster can get to that size in under a year.
They also shake the cages to break the beak off the shell, which promotes shell growth.
“I’m saying anywhere from about 35 to 45% of this is meat, when a wild oyster might be in the 20% range because the shells are so thick,” said Curole.
Some farmers, like Curole, are able to move their oysters to safer locations during hurricanes, saving the harvest.
Another benefit of AOC oysters is knowing what you're buying. A farmer can tell you the salinity of the oysters. They are individual oysters, never in clusters. They are all the same size with an identical shape. They pressure wash each shell clean. The inside liquor is clear and never chalky.
“They are the most delicious oyster you’re ever going to try because they are grown at the surface, they’re not in the mud, they’re clean, they’re very fresh tasting,” said Curole.
Curole added, “This is just a different way of growing it. I think it is the future of growing oysters.”
Traditional oyster farmers disagree it's the future of oyster farming because they say AOC farming won't be able to keep up with the supply and demand.
Both types of farmers do agree these are what they call "boutique oysters."
“I do strictly retail, which is kind of a niche market,” said Curole. "I kind of compare myself to a small-craft brewery, small-batch beers or wine or whatever; we do small-batch oysters because I only grow 80,000.”
The Louisiana Oyster Task Force represents both traditional and AOC farming.
Mitch Jurisich, chairman of the task force, says though this will not overtake traditional oyster farming, he wants to see this type of farming succeed, as it is bringing new types of people into the oyster farming industry.
AOC is a growing practice. There is a program by the Louisiana Sea Grant to expand the industry.
There are currently 24 AOC oyster farmers in the state of Louisiana, with 164 acres in use, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries expects those numbers to grow this year. They have already begun processing AOC farming applications for 2023 and are projecting more AOC parks to begin operation this year.