The Choptank Oyster Company is the oldest and longest continually operated oyster farm in Maryland. We produce an average of 1 to 2 million of Chesapeake Bay’s finest oysters per year.
Marinetics, Inc. began as a commercial aquaculture company with a mission to produce a high quality oyster that is healthier for the consumer, while also helping to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay. We located ourselves in historic Dorchester County in 1996, an area long considered the heart of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and its oyster industry. Traditionally, millions of bushels of oysters were harvested annually from the surrounding waters, up until the 1970’s when harvest numbers began to drop off substantially.
Over harvesting and degradation of the Chesapeake’s delicate ecosystem had virtually wiped out the wild oyster population. Unfortunately, most natural oyster beds are now sparsely populated despite expensive restoration efforts.
At Marinetics / The Choptank Oyster Company, we are actively helping to revitalize the Chesapeake Bay’s native oyster population.
We culture only the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica, which is the species of oyster native to the Chesapeake Bay.
We have several million oysters sitting in the bay at any one time, each acting as a natural filter helping to remove large volumes of excess nutrients that have plagued the bay. Most of these oysters will spawn at least once before harvest thus releasing billions of oyster larvae into the water column to be distributed throughout the bay by tidal currents.
Marinetics operates the only privately funded oyster hatchery in the state of Maryland. Marinetics is supported by profits from selling our product, not by taxpayers. We are a vertically integrated company, meaning that we maintain maximum control over each step in the production process from egg to product delivery. This allows us to ensure that only the highest quality products reach our customers. We take immense pride in producing a superior quality product enjoyed by oyster lovers everywhere, year round.
We cultivate and harvest our oysters year round.
We hatch our own oysters; our spat, seed, and eyed larvae helps oyster restoration projects, too!
We make our own algae to feed our spat and seed oysters.
We tumble our oysters to clean and shape them, creating that sought-after deep cupped shape.
Hey Bubba!
Serve the Original: Choptank Sweets
What People Are Saying
“The process begins with the farm’s best and brightest oysters, followed by a unique plan featuring ingenuity and patience that produces results and has seafood distributors and restaurants up and down the Eastern seaboard clamoring for Choptank oysters. ”
“The oyster take about two years to grow. But the wait is worth it. Kevin popped open an oyster with his knife right down there on the muddy Choptank River waterfront, and I ate it raw, in the rain. And I will testify: If this is the future of the Chesapeake Bay, it is sweet.”
“The highlight of the Brewersplate for me was talking to Kevin and company... will be placing an order sooner than later.”
“These are some of the best Oysters I’ve ever had.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”
“Raw, steamed, baked. no matter... however, I had some (OK.. a lot) baked with a little dab of cocktail sauce and mozzarella cheese, and oh my! It was a heavenly boat of deliciousness! Can’t wait to get some more!”
