About Us
Maris Stella Oyster Farm was born in 2014 after leasing about one acre in Great South Bay, near Captree Island. Farming operations ramped up in late 2015, with sales beginning in local markets and restaurants.
We began in a building once affiliated with the original Bluepoints Company — bringing an evocative sense of continuity and place to the venture.
We specialize in producing “authentic” Blue Point oysters, reviving the historical heritage of genuine Blue Points from Great South Bay.
The name Maris Stella (Latin for “Star of the Ocean”) is inspired by a 9th-century hymn Ave Maris Stella — a salute to maritime heritage.
Our Oysters
Our oysters reflect the rich, plankton-laden upper water column of
the Great South Bay, delivering a clean and robust mineral flavor
and well-developed lipid profile typical of high-quality Blue Points.
Our Farm
Our family was blessed with an ideal merroir: a sandy, shallow shoal, with swiftly flowing water, where the geologic and oceanic influences offer conditions similar to the historic Blue Point oyster ground.
A little bit of History
Wild harvest era (1820s – 1930s)
The commercial harvesting of Blue Point oysters in the Great South Bay of Long Island began in the early 19th century, around the 1820s. The region's abundant natural resources, particularly the clean, nutrient-rich waters of the bay, made it an ideal location for oyster farming.
By the mid-1800s, the Great South Bay became one of the most important oyster-producing areas in the United States. The Blue Point oyster, specifically, gained a reputation for its excellent taste and texture, and was considered one of the finest on the East Coast.
In fact, the popularity of Blue Point oysters helped establish the area as a hub for oyster harvesting, and by the 1850s, they were being shipped across the country and even internationally. According to the Gotham Center for New York City History: “At Queen Victoria’s request, Blue Points were the only oyster to grace the table of Buckingham Palace.”
Collapse (1930s)
Two big 1930s storms hammered the Great South Bay oyster fishery: a major coastal storm in 1931 that opened Moriches Inlet, and the Long Island Express hurricane on September 21, 1938, which opened Shinnecock Inlet and scoured or buried many planted beds. Those inlet changes raised salinity and let in more predators, making the bay harsher for young oysters and crippling the Blue Point industry.
Modern aquaculture era (mid-2000s – present)
True “oyster farming” in the modern sense—using cages, racks, or floating gear in leased underwater plots—started re-emerging in Great South Bay in the mid-2000s as part of Suffolk County’s Shellfish Aquaculture Lease Program (formally launched in 2009). The first leases under that program were issued in 2010, and by 2013–2015, several farms were operating near Captree Island and elsewhere in the bay.