Jamestown Seafood, part 2

In part 1, Kurt and Terri Grinnell shared the history of Jamestown Seafood and some of the challenges they face. This month we'll learn about types and sizes of oysters, who buys them, and projects they're involved with to ensure the future of oysters and geoduck.

Jamestown Seafood markets Pacific oysters in three sizes: Sapphires are beach farmed and harvested at 2.5-3.25"; Jades are also beach farmed and come in two sizes, 3.25-4" and 4-5"; Opals are tumble farmed and are 2.5-3.5". Last year they planted 2-1/2 acres of geoduck, and 2.3 million oyster seeds. Six years ago, they planted eight acres of geoduck and are in the midst of their first harvest. It takes about five years to grow geoduck. "Sequim Bay is alive with food; Jimmy Come Lately Creek brings nutrients to the bay and the oysters gain their flavor," says Kurt. Terroir is just as important to oysters and clams as it is to wine. Depending on the water flow and where the water is coming from, flavors vary.

"Opals are tumble farmed in black mesh on buoys," explains Luke Oppelt, who has been with the company six years. He knows the industry from planting to maintenance to harvest to shipping. "It causes the shell to chip and become rounded, so the meat grows deeper with a bigger cup. With ground bags, we manually flip them for the same outcome. We sell a lot to the Asian market; people there love the larger oysters-7-8". They will eat those raw, whereas we usually bake or barbecue them, and eat the smaller ones raw on the half shell. We are continually growing the Asian market. Oyster connoisseurs can tell the difference if an oyster was grown on or off the bottom of the bay. We sell wholesale only now, shipping directly to restaurants in the lower 48 states. In the Seattle area, we use distributors. We also sell to some local retail shops. For international sales, we use freight forwarding companies, shipping pallets to handle the larger-size product and keep rates down. We box product at the plant, then truck to Sea-Tac. All trucks are refrigerated to 45° to keep product safe. We work with our customers who may say 'it's really hot here, use a certain amount of gel ice to keep product cold;' we do our part and they do theirs to maintain safety."

Jamestown Seafood is all about sustainability. "People are interested in this, especially younger people. They want a healthy future," says Kurt. "The Tribe looks out seven generations; that's part of our culture. We have a great staff of biologists and scientists who look at every plan to ensure we're being smart." Terri adds, "We're not going anywhere; we take the long view. We don't look at next week's bottom line, that doesn't drive us."

The Tribe and Kurt and Terri's enterprise work with partners on projects to ensure the continuation of oyster and geoduck. They are working with NOAA on a pilot project to grow Olympia Oysters; they grow in clusters and are three years old now. At the John Wayne Marina, they have larger seed (3 ml) in a FLUPSY (floating upweller system). A paddle wheel forces water through the system, the oyster eats, and water moves out. "We have 23-27 million in FLUPSYs now, with about 40 million between all the hatcheries," says Kurt. "The hatcheries are a business on their own." Terri adds, "Because we monitor the root stock, we really control from spawn to table." They are also partnering with Oregon on mollusk and root stock to figure out which ones best withstand conditions they're dealing with now (pollutants, ocean acidification) along the West Coast, to develop root stock that will continue to thrive. A partnership with the University of Washington is a pilot project on growing geoduck seed; a million larvae were planted in early April 2018. Another project with the UW and NOAA is about the possibility of farming a native species (sable fish) from a brood stock from the ocean. The first time around, they raised 44,000 pounds of female fish in 18 months (the female growth pattern is better than males in terms of being commercially viable).

Olympia oyster

Kurt would like to look at scallops as well, but Terri is pragmatic. "You have to rein Kurt in sometimes," she laughs. "He's always looking for another fun project." They are halfway through their lease with the Tribe. "Our little company can't keep up with the expansion that is necessary. We knew this wouldn't be forever; it's different and exciting and we are creating jobs for the Tribe. We have to have jobs for the kids if we want to bring our people back. We have to create new funding sources." Kurt agrees. "We need more businesses and hope Jamestown Seafood will be a cornerstone."

Although farming is a daily challenge, there's nothing like a summer morning when they're up early on the beach with flat water and the sun shining. "We work in the most beautiful place; it's hard work but it's fun," says Terri. "And we have a great product. It's easy to have chefs try it, knowing they will love it."

Jamestown Seafood
756 Draper Road
Port Angeles, WA 98362

360-452-8370 office
360-460-3240 Sales, Ralph Riccio

www.jamestownseafood.com

Connie Adams/November 2018