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V O L . X X I X N O. X I I M AY 2 9 , 2 0 2 3 14 L O C A L LY G ROW N F O C U S Smokey McKeen, co-founder of Pemaquid Oyster Co. in Bristol, was an oyster farming pioneer who helped establish the industry in Damariscotta in the 1980s and is still going strong P H O T O / F R E D F I E L D I n 1986, Pemaquid Oyster Co. in Bristol was one of only a few oyster farms in Maine. "One of my friends said it was like belonging to a country club but, instead of going golfing on a Saturday, we'd mess around on the river," says Smokey McKeen, who started the farm with fel- low aquaculture enthusiasts Chris Davis and Carter Newell. "At some point we had to treat it more like a business," he continues. "It's been fun to see the industry grow." From just a few operations 40 years ago to about 150 oyster farms today, the industry has grown indeed. Farms extend from York to Washington counties and raise millions of oysters per year for the white tablecloth market, according to the Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center. Not for the faint of heart Today, millions of oysters are produced yearly; most farms have a handful of employees, bigger ones employ a couple of dozen. Most oysters go outside Maine. Traditional markets include New York, Toronto, Chicago and Atlanta. Maine is well situated for distribu- tion, being a 24-hour truck ride from 150 million consumers, notes Dana Morse, the aquaculture lead for Maine Sea Grant and University of Maine WORLD is your OYSTER This Excellent growing conditions drive a robust oyster farming industry — despite hard work and nature's wily ways B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r

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