Aquaculture is the rearing of aquatic organisms in a controlled environment. Shellfish farming, then, is aquaculture. But it is a uniquely sustainable kind of aquaculture. The production of clams (and every other type of shellfish) requires no artificial feed, no fertilizer and no chemicals. Moreover, clams are filter feeders, meaning they actively process enormous volumes of water every day, leaving the bay just a little bit cleaner than it would otherwise have been. And they're native to our region. A healthy part of the local ecosystem. Two Docks Shellfish is committed to farming in a way that respects the ocean and enhances our shared environment and every day these amazing animals help us do exactly that!
We start the process with very small seed clams. Just a few millimeters. We plant them in mesh bags at the bottom of the ocean allow them to do what clams do: settle down into the sand and start growing. Our team dives the site regularly to make sure that the young clams are not being eaten by predators like stingrays, crabs, or redfish, to make sure they are not being choked by excess sediment, and to monitor their growth. Otherwise the process is entirely natural. Just clams doing what clams do.
After about 15 months, our clams are ready for market. We pull them up from the bottom, allow them to purge the grit out of their stomachs, wash them, sort them by size, and cool them down to less than 45 degrees F. We deliver them the very next day. And because our clams come from deep water leases that are always submerged in high salinity ocean water, the taste is a little sharper, a little saltier than you might expect. Two Docks clams are a unique product, lovingly produced, and delivered with pride. We hope you enjoy them.