To All Oysters

Cuttyhunk Oyster

Cuttyhunk Island, MA
Cuttyhunk Oysters are grown in a remote area of Buzzards Bay where the Elizabeth Islands meet Martha's Vineyard Sound. These beauties come from a small family operation and are grown using traditional Japanese lantern nets.

Oysterology

Product Specifications
  • Specie:
    Crassostrea virginica
  • Origin:
    Cuttyhunk Island, MA
    (USA)
  • Farmed: 2 years
  • Average Size:
    3.25 inches
  • Available:
    July through February
Flavor Profile
Gentle brine with a bouncy chew and sweet butter finish.
Suggested Pairing:
Rosé
Brine Intensity
Growout method
1 inch seed is purchased from Fishers Island and then "planted" in Japanese style lantern nets, which are suspended in the water column. The nets are cleaned and tended often to promote growth.
Site Details
  • Tides:
    Westend Pond; flushed twice daily with tides from Buzzards Bay and Martha's Vineyard Sound.
  • Bottom:
    Sandy bottom with rock and seaweed.
the Grower

We started Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms, Inc. in 1981. The idea of starting an oyster farm on Cuttyhunk Island, MA was Seth’s after working for Carey Matthiessen on his Fishers Island, NY oyster farm, Ocean Pond Oyster Company, in the late 1970s.

We use the vertical water column in the Westend Pond of Cuttyhunk Island. The oyster seed is “planted” at the size of 2.5 cm in between March and May; the oysters sit in Japanese lantern nets, hanging in the water column, feeding on naturally produced phytoplankton. Feeding happens 24 hours a day until the oysters reach market size or the water temperature drops below 48º F in the winter months.The Westend Pond on Cuttyhunk Island has a “cut” to the pristine waters of Buzzards Bay, MA. With tidal flow twice daily,  this water and phytoplankton give Cuttyhunk® Oysters their briny sweet taste.

Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms has allowed us to combine our love of science, the outdoors, and the belief in sustainable business practices on a daily basis. The location of the farm is a place of incredible natural beauty and to work in this environment is gift.

Seth and Dorothy Garfield
Cuttyhunk Shellfish Farms