Future Seafoods Works for a Rocky Bay Future

The pristine south shore of Atlantic Canada's Prince Edward Island is home to Future Seafoods , producers of the highly regarded Rocky Bay oyster. More than 6 million pounds of Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, are harvested each year from the waters of PEI, making it Canada's leading oyster-producing province. Oysters from PEI are often generically referred to as Malpeque oysters, a reference to Malpeque Bay, one of the province's leading oyster producing areas.
 
Future Seafoods farms its Rocky Bay oysters on 200 leased acres in the waters of Salutation Cove, a natural wildlife refuge that is largely owned by Island Nature Trust, ensuring that the lands surrounding this productive estuary will remain undeveloped for generations to come. That's important to the families that own Future Seafoods, as they want their children to have the opportunity to enjoy the rewards of operating a business that depends on a sustainable supply of seafood.

Farming Rocky Bay oysters is a labor intensive endeavor that lends itself to people who love to spend time on (and in!) the water. Oyster seed (spat) is spread on the bottom of the cove attached to large oyster shells. After a year in the water, the juvenile oysters are detached by hand from the shell and spread along the bottom. After another two to four years, these plump, meat-filled delicacies of the sea are ready to be harvested (also by hand) and exported worldwide. Because they are raised in intertidal waters, Rocky Bay oysters develop a deep cup, making them ideal for the half shell trade.

Future Seafoods harvests its oysters 11 months a year. In the dead of winter, the company owners head out on the ice of the cove on snowmobiles, armed with chainsaws, to cut holes in the ice to harvest oysters. At this time of the year, Rocky Bay oysters have a pleasant saltier finish, due to the fact that the freshwater that runs into the cove is minimal because of the freezing temperatures.

In addition to live oysters, Future Seafoods offers frozen, value-added oyster products at its new, state-of-the-art processing plant it opened in 2007. For customers that don't have the labor to shuck oysters for large banquets, they offer oysters frozen on the half shell. And for consumers who love to enjoy a delicate oyster appetizer at home, they offer "Oyster Rockyfella," a blend of cheeses, oysters and smoky bacon.

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