Canoe Lagoon Oysters

Canoe Lagoon Oysters raises Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the waters of the Blashke Islands, a remote site where the farm describes the environment as pristine. Because oysters do not reproduce naturally in Southeast Alaska's cold waters, the farm sources larvae from Hawaii; the spat are raised at a nursery on Prince of Wales Island until they reach roughly 5/8 inch in diameter. Once at the farm, seed is placed into float bags, which the farm uses to keep oysters in the most nutrient-rich zone of the water column. Bags are turned on a regular schedule to promote deep-cupped, meaty oysters. Approximately every two months, oysters go through a tumbler that sorts them by size, cleans them, and breaks off extra shell growth before they are returned to float bags. The farm describes its approach as combining modern and traditional farming methods.