Meet Hollywood Oyster Company, Oyster Farmers in Maryland

This Tide to Table profile features Tal Petty and his solar-powered oyster farm on the Chesapeake Bay.

Some people like to golf, others like to paint, but Tal Petty began farming oysters as a hobby. What started as a couple of oysters, shared among friends on the Chesapeake Bay, has grown into a 300-acre farm selling millions of oysters annually. He and his master shucker wife, Na Petty, run Hollywood Oyster together in Maryland.

A father of five, Tal previously worked in commercial real estate, finance, and global IT marketing. On the side, his love of oysters inspired him to start growing oysters on his family’s property in Hollywood, Maryland. He was hooked and took the leap to fully transition his career to commercial farming in 2013. 

A Powerhouse Farm

Hollywood Oyster Company operates as a wholesale oyster farm on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, approximately 60 miles south of Washington, D.C. The farm is located on the deepest river on the East Coast, the Patuxent. It shares a cove with a state park, lending to excellent water quality. 

To read the rest of the story, please go to: NOAA Fisheries