Rustico

Raquel

/ 1 min read

Situated just west of the famous resort district of Cavendish, the Rustico region encompasses its namesake waterways of Rustico Bay and North Rustico Harbour. It then extends east to embrace little Brackley Bay. Thoroughly sheltered, Rustico Harbour receives the ponds and streams of the Hunter River system. The more expansive Rustico Bay is fed by a number of flows, the principal ones being the Wheatly River and Hornes Creek. The surrounding landscape of gently rolling hills is populated with busy villages, dairy farms, and cottages.

The extensive dunes along the coast create the sheltered enclaves that oysters love. While there is casual harvesting of wild oysters up the rivers, it is the recent introduction of large-scale oyster farming that typifies the fishery today. Over the last decade, a number of underused bottom leases have been converted to active surface ones. Visible from the highway, the aqua farms spread out in even rows along the shoreline and into the bays.

The Rustico region has a long history as an important oyster harvesting region. It boasts wild oyster harvesting in the rivers and farmed oyster leases in Brackley Bay. Many of the wild oysters in the rivers are the twisted and elongated standard grade and bring the least return on the market. The better-attended beds within Brackley Bay grow much more valuable specimens.

This diverse region produces a range of shell colours but a light brown hue is the most common. The steady flow of creeks and rivers into the salty bays helps give the Rustico oysters their distinctly savoury flavour.

The Brackley Bay Oyster Co. is located in the Rustico region off of MacMillan Point within its namesake bay. The company packs oysters harvested from their private leases and also sources product from the public fishery. Proud to continue the bay’s great oyster tradition, they offer an excellent seasonal retail shop and oyster bar.

brackleybayoysterco.com

Retail/ Direct Retail Shipping/ Offsite Oyster Shucking/Onsite Oyster Service/ American Distribution

Headquartered in Borden, Atlantic Aqua Farms processes oysters harvested from its extensive leases in the Rustico region. The company also sources oysters from fishers harvesting from private leases and the public fishery. Specializing in surface culture, Atlantic Aqua Fram oysters take full advantage of the island’s nutrient-rich waters.

atlanticaquafarms.com

Retail/ Direct Retail Shipping /American distribution