At a dock along Chatham County’s Bull River, Perry and Laura Solomon repeat what has become a familiar routine over the last eight months.
Bundled in waterproof coveralls, winter coats and stocking caps, the couple boards their 21-foot Carolina Skiff – the same vessel Perry's late father used to lead dolphin-viewing tours around Tybee Island – at Savannah Boathouse Marina on a cold January afternoon.
Laura pushes away from the dock, cueing her husband and business partner to open the throttle. The skiff skips along the choppy river beneath a brilliant blue sky.
Perry eventually guides the boat around a final bend, flushing a flock of a pelicans from the shell-encrusted shore just as four long lines of what resemble floating violin cases come into view.
These containers – 1,200 in all – hold the crop from Georgia’s first open-water oyster farm.
Submerged baskets attached to the containers contain carefully cultivated mollusks at varying stages of maturity.
They started as 100,000 fingernail-sized "seed," or baby Eastern oysters, purchased in the summer from the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Sea Grant's Shellfish Research Laboratory.
In mid-December, the Solomons began harvesting their "Salt Bombs," which they sell directly to local restaurants through their business, Tybee Oyster Company.
“For the most part, these are some of the cleanest oysters you’re going to see in a restaurant because of the work we’re putting into them,” Perry says.
What sets Tybee Oyster Company's product apart is that it's cultivated using a system called "flip farming," which prevents the accumulation of barnacles, algae and other elements by periodically exposing the cages to the sun.
The process involves a small catamaran temporarily attached to the skiff. As Perry carefully guides the boat, a line of baskets – each affixed to its own plastic float – twists through the contraption’s system of rails like cars on a rollercoaster.
This time, the baskets are ultimately exposed to the open air. Next time out, the pair will repeat the process and submerge the oysters.
‘A major financial risk’
The Solomons are among a half-dozen applicants granted intertidal shellfish leases in late 2021 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and were the first to begin operations.
“Well, I’m a humble person but I’m pretty proud,” Laura says when asked about the milestone. “It’s a cool accomplishment.”
Two other oyster-farm lessees in the Bull River mariculture zone have yet to begin operations. One floating oyster farm is now up and running in Brunswick.
For the Solomons, as is the case with many entrepreneurs, creating Tybee Oyster Company involved a significant leap of faith.
“We were the first to submit our paperwork, and we took a major financial risk by pre-purchasing all of our farming equipment and having it delivered before we had state and federal approval to deploy it on our lease,” Perry explains.
That risk included taking out a second mortgage on the couple’s home to help fund the startup.
Perry, a retired Navy aviator who now works as a commercial pilot, and Laura both must juggle jobs with their oyster business. Their investment also is subject to the whims of nature.
On this afternoon, the couple reaches the farm to find a winter storm days earlier has driven lines of thick rope, used to secure the baskets, into the river floor. As the Solomons crank a wench mounted near the boat’s canopy, lines weighted by a coating of barnacles and muck gradually emerge from the chilly water.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/ USA Today Network
Credit: Richard Burkhart/ USA Today Network
Finally, with the baskets properly anchored, the day’s harvesting can begin.
Laura consults a spreadsheet on her green computer tablet to confirm which baskets will be emptied that day.
As each one is opened, dozens of oysters crash loudly into waiting plastic bins.
While Perry continues this process, Laura settles in at the back of the boat and begins sorting the contents of the assembled bins.
Under Georgia law, oysters must measure at least 3 inches from hinge to mouth to be harvested. Beyond meeting the minimum requirements, though, Laura looks for like-sized stock.
“Most of the restaurants we work with are high end, so they’re looking for consistency,” she explains.
‘A capsule of pristine coastal Georgia’
One by one, Laura counts out approved oysters as she places them into a netlike bag. When she reaches 100, she opens a briefcase-like plastic container and, using her mobile phone, sends information to a miniature printer.
The device spits out a paper label including the date, time and location of the harvest; the name and address of the restaurant to which the bag will be delivered; and a QR Code linked to more information such as tasting notes and appropriate wine pairings.
Laura staples the label to the bag, then repeats the ritual.
Ten Savannah-area restaurants now serve Tybee Oyster Company’s product.
That local tie is special for the Solomons, Terry says.
“Good food connects you to where it is from, and oysters do an exceptional job of making that connection,” he explains. “Every one of our Salt Bombs brings a capsule of pristine coastal Georgia to the plates of consumers who can be transported to our lease (site) to taste what makes our little corner of the world so special.”
Though the same species that is traditionally harvested in Georgia, the Solomons’ product is unique because of the way it is raised.
"Salt Bombs are beautiful to look at, long and narrow, with clean shells and beautiful bands of black, white and even purple," says Andrew Jay Ripley, co-owner of Sea Wolf Tybee. "They are delicious, with a great salinity and a clean, firm texture."
Customers have shared that enthusiasm, making Salt Bombs Sea Wolf’s top-selling oyster.
“They make their way to practically every table,” Ripley added. “There is an immense feeling of pride we’re getting from our locals – to have an exceptional product like this coming from our community.”
Credit: Richard Burkhart/ USA Today Network
Credit: Richard Burkhart/ USA Today Network
River-raised oysters also are good for the environment.
Naturally growing oysters are filter feeders that clean water and help add structure to coastal shorelines. They also provide a defense against the impact of climate change by helping to protect shorelines from storm surge and high tides, and reducing erosion caused by intense rain.
By farming, the Solomons are leaving naturally occurring oysters in place while their crop improves water quality, Laura notes.
And as a product, the oysters are fresher and require less trucking and refrigeration, resulting in less heat-trapping pollution and energy use.
In search of the ‘perfect oyster’
As the sinking sun signals the approach of evening, the Solomons secure their harvesting platform and prepare for the trip back to the marina.
A half-dozen curious terns perched on the exposed baskets try unsuccessfully to access their contents before scurrying as Terry brings the skiff to speed.
Laura settles in near the stern with her back to the brisk breeze while Terry, the collar of his gray coat pulled over his face, leans into the stiff headwind as he steers.
“We have been so humbled by the overwhelmingly positive reception for our oyster in local restaurants,” Terry says. “But we still see areas for improvement. We're going to keep trying to grow the perfect oyster.”
Count Sea Wolf Tybee's Ripley among those who'll be watching.
"They are great people – kind, generous, smart, hard working and, above all, community oriented," he says of the Solomons. "It just so happens that their oysters are phenomenal."
Credit: Richard Burkhart/ USA Today Network
Credit: Richard Burkhart/ USA Today Network
Where to find Tybee Oyster Company Salt Bombs
In Savannah:
Fleeting, 102 Port St.
Common Restaurant, 118 E. Broughton St.
Husk, 12 W. Oglethorpe Ave.
Common Thread, 122 E. 37th St.
Late Air, 2805 Bull St.
The Wyld Dock Bar, 2740 Livingston Ave.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/ USA Today Network
Credit: Richard Burkhart/ USA Today Network
On Tybee Island:
Bubba Gumbo's Restaurant and Seafood Co-op, 1 Old U.S. Highway 80
Salt Island Fish and Beer, 101 Lovell Ave.
Sea Wolf Tybee, 106 S. Campbell Ave.
Sting Ray's, 1403 Butler Ave.
John Deem covers climate change and the environment on the Georgia coast. He can be reached at jdeem@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Tybee company makes history with harvest from Georgia's first floating oyster farm
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