Founded by Darcie Couture in 2020, this small farm off Orr’s Island has earned praise for the quality and consistency of its oysters. Couture, a longtime marine scientist and consultant, is Harpswell’s deputy harbormaster and helped the town create a map of local fishing activity.
This gallery is part of “Cultivating the Coast,” a special report that explores Harpswell’s rapidly growing aquaculture industry.
Calm waters reflect the Davis family’s wharf and Darcie Couture’s boat as she prepares to depart for her oyster farm in the waters off Orr’s Island on June 3. Couture’s Whiskey Stones Oysters are in demand from chefs and shellfish buyers. (Russ Dillingham photo)
Darcie Couture motors between rows of oyster cages at her lease off the northern side of Orr’s Island on June 3. Couture said she consulted local fishermen while scouting the location of her lease. (Russ Dillingham photo)
Darcie Couture and Boone head out for a day of oyster farming. (Russ Dillingham photo)
Darcie Couture uses a gaff to reach an oyster cage at her farm in Harpswell Sound on June 3. (Russ Dillingham photo)
Boone bounds up the ramp as Darcie Couture talks on the phone at the Davis family’s wharf on Orr’s Island on June 3. Couture uses the wharf to access her oyster farm nearby. (Russ Dillingham photo)
