Oyster Saves the Bay
The long history of the Chesapeake Bay oyster was too strong a pull to keep cousins Ryan and Travis Croxton out of the business their great-great grandfather had started in 1899, when oyster “farming” was basically hunting and gathering the bivalves that were a natural part of the Bay. Oysters were a supplement to farming and were “free,” as land leases were yet to be implemented. The cousin’s fathers tried to discourage them from oyster farming as they watched their fleets of boats destroyed by multiple hurricanes and the Bay become “polluted” from over farming and lack of planning from local oystermen. The pollution of the Bay is different then we would think. “It’s not a point source pollution like a factory, but the runoff of nitrogen and phosphorous that would normally be processed by oysters,” says Ryan. And with the oyster population dwindling, this is “allowing other life to take over the Bay.” While the oyster population of Chesapeake Bay is about 4 percent of what it was in 1900, Ryan and Travis believe that through their style of aquaculture the Bay will not only become cleaner but also a better place to grow their oysters.
“The Chesapeake Bay is like the Napa Valley of oysters. The brackish waters vary from location to location and help create a wide variety of taste profiles from low-salinity Rappahannock River Oysters to brinier Olde Salts oysters from Chincoteague.” To keep the bay safe for boats, good looking for local residents, and most importantly, a constant food supply for their oysters, the Croxtons moved their business into “off bottom” farming. The oysters are grown in cages in the bay with only buoys to mark their location. The harvest consists of pulling the cages rather than dredging the bottom of the bay and killing much needed grasses that provide nutrients to the oysters.
The Croxton’s model of sustainable aquaculture and great-tasting oysters has led them to be a favorite of chefs like Tom Collichio of Craft and Eric Ripert of La Bernardin. “At first we couldn’t have been more ignorant about how to sell, price, and ship our product to these great chefs, but their help got us on track.” It also won the cousins a Food and Wine magazine award as one of its Best Young Taste Makers. Not bad for two guys told to stay out of the family business.
