Olympia oysters (Ostrea lurida) were once abundant as a foundation species in the bays and estuaries of the North American West Coast. Archeological remains demonstrate they were also an important wild food for Native Americans, and they were widely harvested as a food resource for waves of immigrants arriving during and after the Gold Rush era. Commercialized harvest combined with extensive habitat degradation led to the decline of O. lurida in most California estuaries. This decline, in concert with the 1920’s introduction of larger, faster growing Japanese oysters (Crassostrea gigas) also led to the virtual disappearance of native oysters from the farms and oyster bars of the West Coast.
While a handful of shellfish growers in the Salish Sea region continue to grow Olympia oysters for market and restoration purposes, in California the commercial farming of O. lurida has all but disappeared. In 2018 Hog Island Oyster Co. began experimenting with the culture of native oysters for Bay Area oyster bars and in support of local restoration research. This presentation will give an overview of the Hog Island project, discuss commercial opportunities and challenges, and explore the potential of native oyster farming to enrich larval abundance and recruitment in nearby wild populations.