To All Oysters

Three Islands Oyster

Beals, ME
Three Islands are cultivated in the cold, nutrient-rich waters of Moosebec Reach, which imparts a unique terroir to their flavor profile. Three Islands are characterized by their deep cups, clean shells, and vibrant brine.

Oysterology

Product Specifications
  • Specie:
    Crassostrea virginica
  • Origin:
    Beals, ME
    (USA)
  • Farmed: 2-3 years
  • Average Size:
    3.25"
  • Available:
    July-December
Flavor Profile
Balanced salinity with sweet mineral finish. Firm meat and crisp texture, reminiscent of the rugged Maine coast.
Suggested Pairing:
Prosecco
Brine Intensity
Growout method
We produce all of our own oyster seed in our hatchery. We transfer the tiny babies into a land based upweller in June when they are barely retained on a 1 mm screen. The babies are removed from the upweller when they can sit on a 6 mm screen and placed into floating bags. We use a combination of floating bags and Oyster Gro cages to house the seed during the summer and then we put the seed in bottom cages in the winter to keep them away from the ice.
Site Details
  • Tides:
    Large diurnal tides with an average height of 12 vertical feet. Due to the dams on the impoundment, the tide level on the farm only goes up and down about 1-2 feet.
  • Bottom:
    Soft, muddy bottom
the Grower

Downeast Institute is a non-profit marine research and education institution. We started this farm as a demonstration of how vacant lobster pounds can be used for shellfish aquaculture.  We chose oysters as the target species for this farm because the water inside of the pound gets extremely warm during the summer months and can support oyster growth. The oysters are grown in a vacant lobster pound called the Flying Place in the town of Beals, Maine.  The farm sits in between three islands (Beals, Great Wass and Dobbins Islands) and that's why we chose to market the oysters as "Three Islands".

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