Farmer: Bill Mook

Location: Damariscotta River, ME

Size: 2.5"- 3”

How they’re grown: Mook’s oysters begin in their very own hatchery where the seed is grown in upwellers of various sizes.  Once large enough, they’re moved to OysterGro cages, which are equipped with floats to hold the cages just below the water’s surface.  The floating cages are regularly flipped to encourage shell growth and shape and to control fouling from barnacles and other sea life.  In the winter, the cages are sunk to the bottom of the river to keep them safe from icy storms, and they’re hauled back out in the spring.  The farm also has acreage that is closer to the mouth of the river and less likely to ice over so they’re able to harvest 52 weeks a year!

How they taste:  We get a strong salinity up front that eases into a noticeable sweet cucumber finish.

Why they’re unique:  Like ICO, Bill Mook runs one of the few hatcheries in New England, so they’re in control of the entire grow-out process from petri dish to plate.  Mook’s hatchery has a research and development program that’s largely aimed at increasing the farm’s resiliency as they face environmental and climate changes.

Story:  Mook Sea Farm was founded in 1985 on the Damariscotta River in Midcoast Maine after farmer Bill Mook did a stint working on another oyster farm.  Bill Mook is one of the pioneers of oyster farming on the Damariscotta and created one of the first hatcheries in the Northeast, and still provides seed for many oyster farms today.  He’s an innovator, a major climate change advocate, and he grows a pretty damn good oyster.