Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1535859
V O L . X X X I N O. X I I J U N E 2 , 2 0 2 5 14 A G R I C U LT U R E / A Q UA C U LT U R E F O C U S » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Mighty Aphrodite Colder waters on the midcoast make for richer-tasting oysters, says Krista Tripp of Aphrodite Oysters. Tripp, shown in these photos sorting and culling with her three-person seasonal crew, migrates her oysters between three sites in progressively cooler waters as they grow from seeds to marketable size. The smallest, at 2 ½ inches, tend to be the biggest sell- ers, often sweeter and less meaty than the 3 ½- to 4-inch varieties. Tripp's oysters take longer (three to four years) to grow due to the water temperatures in the Weskeag River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean near South Thomaston. "That's what gives them a much better flavor pro- file, because they've been brining for a whole extra year more," she says. Tripp harvested 200,000 oysters in 2024 and, with plans to put in seeds for 350,000 this summer, is gearing up for greater output in coming years. Like many in the business, Tripp does not live by oysters alone. She also pilots a lobster boat. It's usually mud season for oysters hauled up from the river bottom. Krista Tripp sorts oysters with her seasonal crew: from left, Chloe Huckabee from Ohio, Aiden Michaud from Maine and Andrew Phelps from Colorado. A measuring stick determines whether an oyster goes to market or back into the water. Aiden Michaud and Chloe Huckabee haul an oyster sack to the sorting station at the South Thomaston public landing. Krista Tripp rows toward her seed oyster site in the Weskeag River.