History of Oysters in Long Island Sound

The Connecticut shores of Long Island Sound have long been renowned for superb oysters. It is the home of the famed Blue Point Oyster. The sound provides the perfect environment for oysters with relatively cool summer temperatures and high salinity water. When the first settlers came to the Connecticut shores in the 1600's they found Native Americans eating oysters. As a familiar European food, the settlers soon began harvesting and later selling this abundant resource. Connecticut oysters soon earned a reputation for superb quality. Indeed New Haven oysters were shipped to England and presented to King George I.

In 1762 the first law was passed to protect the dwindling supply of oysters. This was the first of many laws that lead to the unique system of 'farming' the seabed. In 1881 the State Shellfish Commission was established and began to provide protection for private owners. Now oystermen had exclusive rights to manage their own seabed 'Lots'. It was at this time in 1876 that our parent company, Tallmadge Bros was founded.

The cultivation process begins each summer around July 4th. Clean oyster shell is planted on the beds. This provides a substrate for the young oyster larvae to attach or 'set'. By fall the attached oysters have grown to about thumbnail size. The farmer controls predators by dragging mops to entangle starfish and crabs. Periodically the young oysters are recovered by dredging, sorted and thinned out. Seed oysters or 'spat may also be transplanted from designated seedbeds to grow-out lots. After about three years on the seabed they have reached a market size of 3-3 1/2" and are harvested. The following summer the empty beds are again planted with clean shell and the cycle begins again.

The success of the operation depends a great deal on the number of oyster larvae that set in a particular year. Some years see excellent sets while in others virtually no new oysters are seen. To ensure a regular supply of oysters each year Sargents Cove has developed a successful oyster hatchery that provides a reliable source of quality seed for our oyster beds and also supplies other growers in Long Island Sound.