Bivalve Bites ~ Pensacola Oyster Cluster

BIVALVE BITES: EASILY DIGESTIBLE OYSTER AQUACULTURE NEWS

Together, we’re better. That’s the initial idea behind the Pensacola Oyster Cluster, an organization that grew out of a January 2021 conversation over pizza and beer where local oyster famers, a few wild oyster harvesters, a couple of Florida Sea Grant agents and other oyster aquaculture stakeholders discussed the state of the oyster industry in their area. Those gathered quickly realized when it came to problems and frustrations they faced, most of them were in the same boat. So, they came together to form a true community.

Here, Josh Neese, co-founder of the Cluster and the U.S. sales rep for Oceanfarmr (an app that aids oyster farmers with operational oversight), breaks into the Cluster, explaining what it is (and what it’s not); why he and those at that first meeting felt it was needed; what it’s been up to; and what’s coming next.

OS: What is the Pensacola Oyster Cluster?

Josh: It is a collective of people in the Pensacola- area oyster industry. We’ve come together to share ideas, information and knowledge, to identify roadblocks to growth and success and then to find and/or create solutions to those issues. We don’t have any political figureheads and no regulatory functions. We’re just a group of industry folks working together with our combined wisdom to support and expand oyster farming, while also building back the area’s commercial wild harvest.

We got a big boost to get going from a Nature Conservancy SOAR (Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration) grant, which we’re really proud of. The funds allowed us to get a logo, set up a website and start our basic marketing to let people know we’re here and who we are. All those funds have gone directly to the work we’re doing; we don’t have any employees or an office, so there’s no overhead.

The SOAR grant award was based on the positive environmental impacts our local farms are providing to the community, and that’s part of our mission too, to spread that message. The more people understand how sustainable and beneficial the industry is, the better for everyone.

OS: What barriers has the Cluster identified and how is the group addressing them?

Josh: The first problem on our list was the availability of seed, so we raised capital using a platform called Steward, which is a public participatory loan program focused on agriculture. With that money, we created a micro-hatchery. It is scaled down, so one person can operate it, but we can increase operational capacity as needed.

This marks a different way to attack the seed issue, in that we are only trying to meet the local need. We’re not trying to mass produce and fulfill orders for big sections of the industry. And what we’ve built is so lean and small, it’s really something any community could replicate. I think the future is small hatcheries around the Gulf instead of a handful of huge hatcheries trying to serve everyone.

The next priority issue was and is labor. For a lot of farmers, their oyster farm is their second job, or they have a second job in addition to running the farm, so labor is key. The hatchery was our focus for 2022, but we’re tackling labor now. We’ve got some strategies and plans in the works but nothing that’s ready to be released right now.

We’re also dedicated to figuring out how to bring back wild harvests. Oysters are so good for our waters; more oysters means more improved water quality. And it’s just one more way to increase jobs and grow the “blue economy” in our area.

OS: What’s next on the agenda for the Pensacola Oyster Cluster?

Josh: We used the Oceanfarmr software and app to quantify the environmental benefits of our farms, and that’s the data used to get the SOAR grant. We’re now using that information to create certificates that the farms use to educate the public about these benefits. We want people to know that beyond providing tasty oysters, these farms are creating habitat, their oysters are filtering the water and more.

To help us get the word out, we’re doing monthly events called Pensacola Oyster Fests. We just had the first one in early May. We’re partnering with local venues and basically throwing an oyster and beer party. It gives people a chance to meet the farmers and hear their stories and put a face on the oysters they’re enjoying.

OS: What’s the biggest benefit you’ve seen from the Cluster so far?

Josh: I’ve loved seeing the farms and all our industry members develop trust among each other. We’re building a strong community that’s committed to collaboration and uplifting the entire industry. And even outside of the current “official” Cluster farms, we have other nearby farms jumping in to work with us on things. The oyster community has always been generous, but I think that runs really deep here, and we’re just bolstering that and leveraging it to accomplish our goals.

OS: How can folks get involved?

Josh: The Cluster itself is made up of our core industry folks, and anyone in that arena can reach out via the Cluster website. We’ve also launched a membership program for the Cluster called the Oyster Society, and this is how the general public can participate. Our Oyster Society is the social arm of the Cluster, and it’s a fun way to continue to build out our network of famers, distributors, wholesalers, restaurants and consumers. You can find details and join the Oyster Society on the website.