Martha's Vineyard oyster aquaculture literacy program: The magic of Martha's Vineyard oysters

2021 eeBLUE aquaculture literacy awardee - Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts

Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group, in close partnership with Cottage City Oysters, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Martha's Vineyard Oyster Fest, and NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region Fisheries Office, created an oyster farming education program making the island’s oyster industry accessible to public audiences. Four unique learning experiences kick-started an aquaculture literacy initiative on the island: educational tours of local oyster farms accompanied by Vineyard biologists, a four-month installation at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum with an accompanying STEM program at the island’s K-12 schools, opportunities at an annual oyster festival, and hands-on oyster preparation and shucking events with notable local food experts. 

Read an update from the grantees in their July 2022 Harvest stories post: The magic of Martha's Vineyard oysters.

Stepping into the exhibit room truly felt like stepping into my world and the life-work of several of my closest and most cherished colleagues — shared through pictures and heartfelt narratives.

Emma Green-Beach, Executive Director and Shellfish Biologist, Martha's Vineyard Shellfish Group
A banner in an outside event tent reads “Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group 1976” with a photo of scallops, mussels, and clams. Underneath the banner is a table with a microscope set up for samples from three large glass jars of liquid containing microalgae: one orange, one green, and one brown.
Cultured microalgae light up the education tent at Martha’s Vineyard Oyster Fest. (Emma Green-Beach, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, Inc.)
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