About the Farmer
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Laura Brown was born and raised in New Hampshire and left home to pursue a life in the arts. After earning a master’s degree in Fine Arts in sculpture and glass, she traveled throughout the country studying art and creating sculptures and assisting artists with their sculptural and glass blown work. She taught in colleges and art schools around the country, surrounding herself with a talented community of working artists who inspired imagination, curiosity and creativity.
One day, her sister Krystin, a marine biologist, offered to help her start an oyster farm. This was a big life transition and an exciting one! The prospect of coming ‘home’, working in the bay and raising oysters was alluring. Krystin helped create a path forward for oyster restoration in Great Bay and helped farmers take part in the restoration process.
In 2011, Laura started working with a small batch of oysters, learning how to care for them and how to work in and with the bay.
Since then I have learned so much! Each year brings changing weather conditions and new experiences. I continually modify farming practices and oyster care to raise the healthiest most beautiful and delicious oysters I can. I began harvesting and selling in 2014 and continue to love what I do. Truly! And each season I can't wait to get back in the water
The Farm
Fox Point Oysters is a small, 2 acre farm established in 2012. It is located in Little Bay, which is part of the Great Bay estuary in New Hampshire. This small, local farm raises fresh, delicious NH oysters in a careful, eco-friendly manner that adds value to the surrounding environment. With care comes the most delicious oysters around! A unique mix of tidal waters from the Atlantic, paired with fresh water from the rivers that meet the bay, creates a unique flavor profile.
In nature, oysters are often found clustered together in reefs. These reefs form when oysters spawn and create larvae which often attach to the shells of older oysters. On the farm, however, baby oysters are purchased from a local hatchery and placed in specialized in-water gear to help protect them from natural predators and to keep them organized.
We don't need to feed the oysters! They feed naturally and organically by filtering phytoplankton and other nutrients out of the water. Each oyster filters between 15 and 50 gallons a day. The filtering process not only allows oysters to eat, it also helps clean the water, helping other species and plant life thrive.
Throughout the growing season, the oysters are cleaned, sorted, and gently tumbled. This process creates a strong, deep cup and keeps the oysters from attaching to one another, allowing us to select individual oysters as each reaches the perfect size for consuming.
It takes 24 - 36 months, or two to three growing seasons, for the oysters to reach harvesting size. Once they do,
we select the best, and transport them with care in refrigerated units to local retailers, wholesalers, and event locations.
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Fox Point Oysters works closely with the NH Fish & Game Department, NH Department of Health and Human Services and the NH Department of Environmental Services. The harvesting and transportation of shellfish for human consumption must come from clean water and be carefully monitored to meet strict public health criteria, which is regulated by these departments.
As stewards to the Bay, Fox Point Oysters takes the raising and harvesting of oysters very seriously. We are passionate advocates for clean water, and continually monitor and record daily growing conditions in order to raise the healthiest oysters possible!
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Restoration and Education
In addition to farming, Fox Point Oysters partners with the University of NH, Natural Resources Conservation Services and Then Nature Conservancy to help restore native oyster reefs in Great Bay. By deploying shell, spat on shell and live oysters to declined reefs, we help bring those populations back. The yearly spawning from the farm also adds to the population of the estuary and helps native reefs and possibly new ones thrive.
Fox Point Oysters also works closely with scientists and students at UNH with research and oyster, aquaculture and other related projects on the farm.
Laura can also be found leading tours and presenting information at talks around the seacoast about farming, restoration and food. She has become a local food advocate and a bigger advocate for oyster aquaculture for its positive effects on the environment, local economy and food health.
