“Free range is a more organic, healthier method for raising an animal and it’s better for the local environment — that’s what shellfish farming is about. There’s not much difference in how an oyster is raised on a farm, as compared to how it would exist naturally in the wild. The oysters that we harvest are put into the water by us, and removed by us at a later date when they are mature, year in and year out. Their presence positively impacts the environment, and their cultivation in no way requires or results in the deprivation or depletion of other animal species. In addition, when our farmed oysters spawn, their larvae enter the water column and will naturally travel anywhere in the local ecosystem, just as if they were wild.” – John West
Owners: John and Cindy West
Oysters raised: Cedar Island Oysters, Moonstone Oysters
Farm size: 3 leased sites totaling 17 acres
Location: Point Judith Pond, South Kingstown, RI
Website
Cedar-Island-Oyster-Farm
