Agritourism

Do you love oysters?  Then you’ll love the Maine Oyster Trail, a new tourism trail designed to help people find Maine oyster farms and restaurants that offer delicious, fresh shellfish.

About Maine Farmed Oysters

Two species of oysters grow in Maine.  The Eastern oyster (also called the Atlantic oyster) is native to Maine and has been a favorite in Maine for centuries, as seen by the large shell middens that line river banks along our coastal shore.  Belon oysters (also called European oysters or European Flat) are native to the Belon River in France and were brought to Maine by scientists in the 1950s.  Only around 5,000 Belon oysters are harvested in Maine each year.

Oysters can vary in flavor depending on where they were harvested (similar to clams or scallops) and by species.  Oyster flavors are named after the region they were harvested, such as Glidden Point, Dodge Cove, Norumbega, Pemaquid Wawenauk, Wiley Point, Whaleback Cocktail, Bagaduce, Little Island, Gay Island, Flying Points, North Haven, Winter Point and Taunton Bay oysters.  There is no one flavor that is “better” than another- just like wine, one person may prefer the flavor of oysters from one location while another prefers oysters from another, yet both are delicious!

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