Oysters

It was the Chinese who invented oyster cultivation, later taken up by the Romans and then the French in the 16th century. The priority is to respect the sea, which is subject to all kinds of man-made pollutants. To be an oyster farmer is above all to share a passion for the sea and its fruits. Resilience in the face of climatic and environmental challenges is paramount. Precision and technical know-how, particularly in marine biology, are indispensable assets. Mastery of rearing techniques, maturation in claires, and knowledge of tidal cycles are also essential to guarantee oyster quality. The oyster farmer supervises the complete life cycle and reproduction of the oyster, from the fragile larva to the ready-to-serve oyster. The process begins with spat collection using sea collectors, followed by rearing in oyster beds. Refining, essential for developing the unique taste of each oyster, whether hollow or flat, takes place in the open sea or in specially equipped basins. Harvesting, grading and marketing are the culmination of this meticulous process.

The oyster farming profession requires a great deal of self-sacrifice in the face of arduous working conditions in an environment that is often hostile because it is wet, windy and salty, combined with a healthy dose of passion. The aim of this fact sheet is to shed light on the oyster farming sector, which is entering a new era with an industrial approach based on the production of triploid oysters, in total opposition to the production of natural oysters, founded on respect for animals and their environment.