An Oyster Life (Blog) — Aquaculture

The Chesapeake Bay is an amazing place and since our creation, we’ve made it our goal to work to help to build the bay and help support the ecosystem and region that gives us so much. Oyster farms like ours benefit the Chesapeake Bay in a number of ways. First, we’re able to create jobs and bring revenue to the region. Farmed oysters are also responsible for filtering micronutrients out of the bay, preventing hazardous algae blooms, and cleaning the area’s waters. Lastly, recycled oyster shells can be used to create artificial reefs which provide habitat for many other species....

The oyster and its pearl are a combination known around the world. However, many people don’t know exactly what causes an oyster to form a pearl. Oysters are not the only mollusk that can form pearls– clams and mussels do it as well, but much less frequently. The formation of pearls by oysters is a biological process, the oyster is actually protecting itself from a foreign substance. In order to understand how oysters make pearls, it’s important to first understand the basics of their anatomy. Oysters are bivalves, which means their shell is made of two parts, the valves. The...

East coast oysters. West coast oysters. Like Tupac and Biggie, the rivalry between the two has spanned the ages. The two varieties of oysters each sport their own merroir, shape, size, and mouth feels. Knowing the difference between the two can help you know what to expect when getting your slurp on. East Coast oysters like our White Stone Oysters are often smoother with larger cups and a briny, savory flavor. White Stone Oysters, for example, very sweet,  vegetal, and umami notes with a medium salinity. West Coast oysters tend to have a ruffled shell with a deeper cup, are...

The fabric of White Stone is sewn with the sinews of vibrant, meaningful relationships, that together, construct the functioning entity; the friends that run our hatcheries, our farmers, our truck drivers, our distributors, our chefs, our restaurant patrons, and beyond.  Each connection has a unique charge that makes up who we are, including the businesses whose visions run parallel.   Last month we hosted friends from a local White Stone, VA restaurant,  Adrift, and the conservation-minded, water-centric men's apparel brand, Fish Hippie. The day was filled with playful banter and meaningful discussion on the future of our waterways. We were joined by...

The flavor of an oyster is determined by several factors like region, water, and farming method. Knowing how these things affect an oyster’s flavor can help you detect the subtle nuances between oysters and become an oyster pro.  First, you have to learn an important term, merroir. Merroir is derived from the same concept as wine’s terroir. Basically, the flavor profile of a wine, like that of an oyster is derived from the factors that go into its growth. While wines may be affected by soil, sun, and microclimate, oysters are affected by water quality, algae, current and tide, and...

Oysters are beautiful, fascinating creatures. We may be a little biased but we think they’re one of the more incredible sea animals the Chesapeake Bay has to offer. Their storied history and the culture that’s grown around them make them something worth appreciating. Like many others– there’s always something new for us to learn about oysters. Check out these fun oyster facts:z Oysters have been around for approximately 15 million years. This makes them relatively young when you consider that crabs have been on the planet for 450 million years, predating dinosaurs. Not all oysters make pearls. While edible oysters...

Meteorologically speaking, the first day of spring is March 1st. Tell that to an oyster farmer from Virginia to Prince Edward Island and you will most likely get a good laugh.  Winters can be long and hard on the water and we farmers look forward to the early signs of spring ☀️ In Virginia, April is a month where we begin to hear early morning bird chatter, we feel the warming waters and we see some slight shell development on the new oyster stock. The warming waters give birth to the rich algae that are the cornerstone of the Chesapeake’s ecosystem...