Recent recipients of an Irish Food Writers' Guild Awards for Notable Contribution to Irish Food, Gary and Iwona Harty are blazing trails in the world of Irish oyster aquaculture with Gary’s introduction at Galway Gourmet Oysters of the Flip Farm method which originates from New Zealand.
Using semi-automated floating baskets attached to long lines, this innovative mariculture method reduces the manual labour usually required to turn oyster baskets. It improves the health and condition of oysters, and it reduces diseases.
Rather than importing this method quietly and keeping its benefits to himself, Gary has decided to choose the community route, and Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) has funded early trials with a view to research the feasibility of extending this new farming method to other areas and oyster farms in Ireland. Should this project be successful, we can expect increased control over the growth conditions in Irish oyster farms, less demanding physical labour for workers, and a reduced seabed disturbance as the baskets are kept to the surface.
So far, the results of the Gary Harty and BIM's trials have been encouraging, in particular around the growth and shape of the oysters under Irish weather and maritime conditions. With the potential for increased productivity and a controlled, higher quality of oysters, Gary Harty's work is revolutionary.
And Galway Gourmet Oysters are seriously delicious!
