About Us

THE Environment

The Growing Environment

Our farm is located in Baynes Sound between Denman Island and Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Baynes Sound supports some of the most productive clam and oyster beaches in Canada and it is from this area where the majority of all commercial harvesting occurs on the Pacific Coast.

Human and oyster health are at the top of the list in our farming process. All of Mac’s farming areas are regularly monitored for water quality, environmental, animal and human health by government agencies, and by us using a third party lab. We monitor our areas daily, weekly and monthly depending on the issue we are monitoring for. Mac’s farm leases are located away from sources of pollution and a significant portion of them are in wilderness locations.

Shellfish Aquaculture

Oyster and clam cultivation, known as bivalve shellfish aquaculture is a low impact, low input endeavor. The farmer is providing a place for his shellfish crop to grow naturally, and will move and handle it, bag or tray it, and suspend or beach it to help maximize the bivalve’s growth.

Shellfish farming is remarkable in many ways. Unlike many methods of food production, it is truly harmonious with nature. The farmer provides no input – no feed, no medicine, no additives- the shellfish filters food from the ocean. The farmer monitors the water quality and the density of the crop. Oysters are constantly feeding and growing so they need space. We can say with certainty that it is truly a sustainable endeavor, as we have been harvesting for generations.

Farm sites are called ‘leases’ because they are leased from the Federal Government to Mac’s, or our network of supporting farmers. The main distinction between farmed or wild shellfish is the beach tenure, whether it is leased or not. An oyster farm can be made up of one lease or many. The farmer pays yearly fees to secure the lease and is required to invest a certain amount of effort and resources annually to cultivate the approved species.

Manila clams grow in sandy beaches at depths of 6 to 12 inches. Sometimes the beaches are seeded by the farmer, which are purchased from clam hatcheries. But often the natural setting is more than ample. When the tide is low, people go out to dig clams. All our clams are hand dug with a shovel and bucket. Then put in nets that are stored on the ocean bed. Clams are brought in from the ocean floor into the plant the day we pack and ship clams to you.