Lowcountry Oyster Company (Lowco Oysters) in Green Pond, S.C. announced its opening last month and is now the largest floating cage oyster farm in the state. Charleston locals Trey “Cricket” McMillan and Malcolm Jenkins created the sustainable farm that focuses on protecting the wild oyster population and providing a “creek to table” product. It is located at 15833 Bennetts Point Rd, Green Pond, S.C.
Lowcountry Oyster Company will supply single oysters to individuals and restaurants all over the country. The farm has 750 floating oyster cages with plans to quadruple in size over the next five years. Floating oyster cages stay on top of the water column keeping the oysters submerged for the majority of their lives. Floating cage mariculture is the most cutting-edge method of raising oysters and is perfectly suited for South Carolina's large tidal range. This method allows oysters to be consumed all year round, not just in months that contain the letter “r.”
Lowco Oysters is committed to sustainability as all oyster seed is purchased from other local oyster farms. Using hatchery-raised seed takes pressure off of the dwindling wild oyster stock due to overfishing, changing climate and increased pollution and runoff. Oysters filter up to 50 gallons of water a day reintroducing clean water into the ACE Basin.
Source: Lowcountry Oyster Company