Louisiana is exploring off-bottom oyster harvesting as more than just a marketing strategy. In its final environmental impact statement for the controversial Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion ...

Oyster farmer Jules Melancon, who passed away in 2023, was a pioneer in the off-bottom oyster industry. The fourth-generation oysterman turned from traditional dredging to cage farming in response ...

Alternative oyster culture, a new way of farming, introduced in Cameron Parish. By Morgan Babineaux. Published: Mar. 22, 2024 at 6:26 PM CDT CAMERON ... “Alternative oyster culture growth is growing ...

But not all of the off-bottom oysters are small, boutique oysters sold at New Orleans raw bars. Kirk Curole, 62, started selling his oysters after retiring from the oil and gas industry.

“What that does is it naturally tumbles the oysters inside the cages,” said Roros. “There's a part of the current process of oyster farming—such as floating bag and stack method farming—where part of ...

Most oyster farmers take at least a few days to get their shellfish from the water to your dinner plate. Not Ryan Bethea. The owner of Oysters Carolina has spent the last eight years making same ...

The Sixpenny Oyster farmers separate oysters by size by putting them through a tumbler, then bring them into a corner of Beebe Cove in Groton on Nov. 5, 2024.

Five years ago, the state approved oyster farming. Farmers produce oysters in cages instead of catching them in the wild off a reef. So far, there are only 13 permitted acres across the state.

Not all jewels shine deep-green like emeralds or have the sparkle of diamonds. Some tumble from algae-coated cages in a rush of rock and shell, briny water splashing alongside them onto the boat deck.