Matunuck Oyster Farm LLC, a 7-acre plot in South Kingstown’s Potter Pond, is home to countless oysters that will eventually end up on a dinner plate.
The farm provides food for diners at Matunuck Oyster Bar, where tens of thousands of people consume seafood and fresh shellfish every year.
Perry Raso founded the farm in 2002, eventually expanding to include the restaurant, a vegetable farm, marina and a shellfish hatchery.
“It all started with 1 acre of oyster farm, and it spawned hundreds of jobs,” Raso said. Five people work at the oyster farm, but 100 to 200 others work at the businesses that have spun off the farm.
The support of the University of Rhode Island, his alma mater, and an $82,000 grant from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed’s office made all the difference, allowing him to spread the word about aquaculture and purchase gear to start the oyster farm.
His business fits squarely in the middle of the blue economy, he said, and will continue to thrive if shellfish farmers have access to patches of saltwater in order to grow crops. Raso has encountered resistance from some who point out that aquatic farms restrict recreational activities such as boating.
“If decisions are made based on science, aquaculture will have the opportunity to grow as a business and economic engine,” Raso said. “We can’t have decisions based on whether we should have farms [because of] someone’s not-in-my-backyard attitude. We have to have decisions based on the realities of shellfish aquaculture.”