They were brought to the state in the early 1900s, but Alaska waters were too cold for them to reproduce, so the industry quickly died out. These days, farmers import seed oysters and grow them in baskets stacked upon one another in the water. The baskets protect the farmer's investment from marauding sea otters and they make it easier to harvest the crop. So since they're feeding all the time, they do grow very well. Summer is the time to harvest market-size oysters.
Weekly shipments are often air-direct to markets in Alaska and throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Farmers receive about six dollars for a dozen oysters. Consumers will pay about nine dollars a pound, a bit more in restaurants. Yet despite the high price, Alaska shellfish farmers are increasing production to meet a growing demand. And the future looks bright for diversification into even more profitable shellfish markets. Some of the other species pull a very high market price.