Process :

Partner : Victor Aquaculture ;

Region : Shippagan Bay, northern New Brunswick ;

Farming method : Suspension.

The farming process of these oysters begins in the region of the Chaleur Bay, were the seeds attach to Chinese hats collectors placed in the water column. The collectors are then brought back into the Shippagan Bay, where the oysters are graded by size and placed into floating bags for grow-out. As warmer waters from Chaleur Bay and colder waters from the St.Lawrence Gulf meet in Shippagan Bay, the oysters culture sites are provided by a good salinity and pure waters of the greatest quality. During their last season prior to harvest, the Chipagane oysters are placed into cages in the single refining site in order to finish their growth and to give the oysters their particular salty taste.

This unique farming technique produces a rather uniform shell, since the oysters are knocked together in the sea flow, while being brushed and washed regularly, resulting in this round shape. They are also plumper than wild oysters because they have access to better quality food at the surface. This allows them to build higher glycogen reserves which helps balance their strong salty taste.