The ShoreXplorers: Farming Clams on the Virginia Eastern Shore, Cheriton VA (Oct 29-31, 2015)

We finished our trip at the Cherrystone Campground on the Virginia Eastern Shore. The campground is located right on the Chesapeake Bay, and our campsite had a beautiful view. Our first day there was warm and calm, so we brought out our kayaks for a nice paddle. We had seen Google Earth photographs of what looked like oyster cages in the water nearby, so we set off to find them. As we came around the point of land, we found several boats moored together and men standing chest deep in the water.

“What are you doing?” we asked.

“Farming clams,” came the reply.

What we had thought were oyster cages seen in the water by satellite were in fact nets put down over seed clams to allow them to grow. Weeds and grasses grow on the nets giving them a contrast to the sandy Bay floor. Two years later, the clam crew comes, removes the nets and literally sucks the clams up with a vacuum cleaner type mechanism into a huge basket. The clams are then parceled out into smaller baskets where they are swished through the water to clean them off. Then these baskets are emptied into bins on the boat.

“How late into the season do you work out here?” we asked.

“All year round,” came the reply.

Brrr.

“Do you know where we could buy some clams?” we asked.

“You can get ‘em at the plant,” came the reply.

The Cherrystone Campground is on the same peninsula and owned by the same family as Cherrystone Aquaculture. The “plant” was a short bicycle ride from our campsite. So off we rode, with backpack to bring home some of Russ’ favorite food. They are only sold in bags of 50. 50 oysters, 50 clams and 7 quohogs (thrown in for chowdah) filled up the vegetable bin of our motor home fridge.

Yes, they do grow oysters. The weather turned windy the next day so we didn’t get to kayak to the oyster farm – though we were directed to it by our clam farmers. We saw them from land, and did see the empty oyster cages stacked outside the plant. In warmer weather, they give tours of the whole aquaculture enterprise. A good reason to return. That and the yummy clams and oysters and the fun campground.