For this project, I connected with my friend Ralph, a local oyster farmer on the Olympic Peninsula. I first met him when he was a shellfish biologist for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Sequim in the early 2010s. After helping restore the tribe’s shellfish beds in Sequim Bay for a few years, he started working for the tribe’s enterprise, Jamestown Seafood, in their shellfish department before eventually starting his own oyster farm, Moonlight Oyster Co.

Ralph currently leases an acre of tidelands on Marrowstone Island, where he’s been raising and harvesting Aphrodite, a “delicate brine-forward oyster with a sweet, buttery, cucumber finish.” He currently operates an oyster bar at Finn River Farm & Cidery in Chimacum on Saturdays and Sundays, and sells oysters to Hama Hama Oyster Co.

He grew up fishing with his dad on the East Coast, which inspired him to study marine ecology and restoration in college. After helping a friend with his oyster farm, he fell in love with this kind of work, inspiring him to eventually get into the business.

Being an oyster farmer allows him to practice his love for marine restoration work (oysters are filter feeders and support water quality) while providing a way to support the local economy through food. He feels it’s important to provide his community with local food, and with that comes the responsibility of making sure the water that he depends upon is protected and stays clean, not only for his business, but for the health of everyone.