News and Events
Marinetics and Waterland Fisheries
October 21, 2009
After coming back to the mainland from Smith Island, Chesapeake Semester students made their way northward to the Choptank River and the town of Cambridge to visit entrepreneurs offering an alternative to the wild harvest-based industry that they saw in Smith Island. In the morning: Marinetics, an oyster aquaculture business on the mouth of the Choptank producing the regionally famous "Choptank Sweets"; and in the afternoon: Waterland Fisheries, a tilapia aquaculture business in Hurlock, MD. In preparation for the visits, students first tasted a little of the aquaculture alternative at the Ocean Odyssey in Cambridge.
A local restaurant that started as a seafood packing house then moved its way into wholesale and finally a restaurant to accommodate its loyal customers.
Choptank Sweets.
Kevin McClaren, the head Manager at the hatchery and dock, receives students with an introduction to the final product that is being culled (sorted by size) and shipped out that same day.
Marinetics ships its oysters all over the bay area focusing on niche market restaurants and seafood wholesalers.
Students walk out on the central pier that has "floats" constructed of pvc and marine wire that house the different aged oysters off the bottom. Using floats, the oyster are able to feed and grow from the water column without the threat of sedimentation from a soft bottom.
Julia Krout '11 looks on as Kevin grabs some oyster spat (oyster less than one year of age) from the hatchery.
These are "clutchless" spat that are encouraged to grow on one small piece of broken shell. Marinetics boast the only private hatchery in the state of Maryland.
Marinetics produces 1 million oysters per year for sale.
Kevin explains that a large hurdle that the business has to face is marketing the product. Because the product is grown more sensitively--each oyster is tumbled throughout its life to develop a deeper "cup" to hold meatier oysters—there is a premium on his oysters. However, once he establishes a customer, loyalty is high, and Kevin has no problem selling his oysters every year.
Next stop is Waterland Fisheries in Hurlock, MD!
Danielle Bellezza '11 and Laura Lazenby '11 look on at one of the 25 tanks in this building that hold up to 10,000 tilapia fish each depending on age.
Brant Anderson and his parents JoAnn and Claude Anderson are all partners in the family venture.
Waterland Fisheries uses no pesticides or antibiotics in the 6-9 months it takes to produce a market size fish like this.
One tank can hold up to 8,000 fish that are fed 16 times daily from an overhead food dispenser.
A worker illustrates how the fish are harvested by hand.
Waterland Fisheries has just recently expanded the operation by 130% to accommodate the ever-increasing market demand. Even with the expansion—which currently makes them the largest operator of this kind in the country—they are unable to satisfy all of the demand for farm raised tilapia.
Curious fish stare back at Benjy Duke '10.