The cool nutrient rich water of Drakes Estero is home to Drakes Bay Family Farms, recognized as producers of some of the finest oysters in the world. What might look like a lot of trash to you are actually oysters having just been harvested from the cold waters of the estero. The shellfish species raised in Drake's Estero include Pacific Oysters, Kumamoto Oysters, Manila Clams and Purple Hinged Rock Scallops.

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The oysters are hoisted from the bay onto a shallow barge. Most of the oysters come in clumps. This is because succeeding generations of oyster larva, or spat, need something rough, slime-free and hard on which to anchor themselves. Failing this, they will suffocate in mud and silt. In this photograph the worker is separating the oysters on the barge and discarding those that are dead or too small.

Tags:   Drake's Bay Drakes Estero Marin County California Oyster Oyster Farm Drakes Bay Oyster Farm oyster harvesting spat harvest fishing bay

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Drake's Bay is located on the coast of northern California (see map) approximately 30 mi. northwest of San Francisco. The Drakes Bay Oyster Farm, where I took this photo, is located on an expansive estuary (Drake's Estero) which feeds into the bay on the Point Reyes Peninsula. The bay is named after Sir Francis Drake (1540-1595) who, in 1579, is reputed to have landed here during his now famous circumnavigation of the world by sea. He called the area "Nova Albion" (New Britain) and, it is said, left some men behind to form a colony.

Tags:   Drake's Bay Drakes Estero Marin County California Oyster Oyster Farm Drakes Bay Oyster Farm Point Reyes peninsula estuary estero Sir Francis Drake Nova Albion sea history

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A veritable mountain of shells leftover from "shucking oysters" at Drake's Bay Oyster Farm, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California. Shucking is the process of opening an oyster and prying it free from its shell. At Drake's Bay, California's last oyster cannery, single oysters are grown as individuals from the larval state. The oysters are produced in an indoor hatchery and then moved to an outdoor growing area in mesh bags to resist predation from Bat Rays. The "mother shells" containing the baby oysters are strung together on wires and suspended outdoors and underwater in Drake's Estero. When fully grown the oysters are then shucked and packed in jars at the cannery.

Tags:   Drake's Bay Drakes Estero Marin County California Oyster Oyster Farm Drakes Bay Oyster Farm shucking cannery mother shells hatchery Point Reyes Point Reyes National Seashore seashore shell shellfish coast ocean food net farm

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Drake's Bay, located in Marin County about 30-miles northwest of San Francisco, is a small coastal bay fed by Drake's Estero, an estuary on the Point Reyes peninsula. The bay is named after English explorer Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) and has long been considered Drake's most likely landing spot on the west coast of North America during his circumnavigation of the world by sea in 1579.

For over a century the Drakes Bay Oyster Company has been harvesting shellfish and operating an oyster farm in the 2,500 acre inlet. The entire area is under the supervision of the National Park Service. In 1972 the park service made a commitment to turn the inlet into the first marine wilderness on the West Coast. It took 40 years for this commitment to be put into effect. Last week (December, 2012) Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, declined to extend a lease allowing shellfish to be harvested in Drake's Bay. The oyster company — which made about $1.5 million annually — will have to remove its personal property from the lands and waters within 90 days.

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