He’s been working on his family’s shellfish farm, Mac’s Oysters, since he was twelve years old. Now he’s a third-generation shellfish farmer, working beaches and deep water lines off the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

He might have fallen into the family business — but he loves it.

“It’s a good, outdoors type of thing,” he says. 

The Fanny Bay farm has developed a reputation for producing world-class oysters and clams. Some of their customers have been buying their oysters from Mac’s for 30 years. The reason they can keep coming back for more — and more — is the sustainable nature of shellfish farming.

Visit to Mac’s Oysters farm, Oct 2020.

Over the years, Mac’s has worked with experts, like biologists, to ensure they aren’t damaging the ecosystems. The shellfish farmers monitor water quality and keep an eye on crop density, while working with government agencies and labs to make sure the environment is protected. 

Visit to Mac’s Oysters farm, Oct 2020.

But aside from going about their business growing, oysters are critical to ocean health. 

Did you know one single oyster, can filter approximately 189 litres (that’s 50 gallons) of water a day? Which means wherever there are oyster beds, there’s cleaner water and healthier ocean habitat. 

The Florida Oceanographic Society provides an amazing video that shows the impact oysters can have on water cleanliness in a very short period of time.

The mere presence of oysters in a body of water, or on a beach, can also improve public commitment to keeping bodies of water clean and free of pollutants.

“Oyster farming is, by definition, green and sustainable,” according to the CAIA. “Oysters cannot tolerate the discharge of sewage or other toxins; the presence of oyster farming, therefore, often results in increased awareness and monitoring of coastal waters.”

But even more impressive? The CAIA says farmed oysters help remove carbon dioxide from the ocean during shell formation – therefore reducing greenhouse gases.

It’s pretty impressive for a humble oyster. 

On top of that, bivalve aquaculture may be part of the solution to improving the ocean health and rebuilding habitats for other sea life. Oysters are a foundational part of ocean ecosystems.

Visit to Mac’s Oysters farm, Oct 2020.

Placing oyster cages, or oyster beds, in oceans can encourage other sea life to return. Such was the case in the Solent waterway, a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland England.

Visit to Mac’s Oysters farm, Oct 2020.

In New York, the Billion Oyster Project is restoring oyster reefs in New York Harbour because of the habitat they provide marine life  — and because oyster beds can help protect the city from storm damage by lessening the impact of large waves, preventing erosion and reducing flooding. 

Not only do oysters help ocean habitat, they help human habitat too!

Visit to Mac’s Oysters farm, Oct 2020.