When Michael and Laura Hild purchased Anderson’s Neck in 2010, their intention was preservation of the historic property and saving the natural beauty of the land from development. Little did they know that three years later they would be deep into becoming one of the larger sustainable oyster operations in the area and reviving a centuries old operation on the York River.

When John Smith first explored the Chesapeake Bay in the 17th century, oyster reefs piled so high that they broke the surface of the water, a water that was clear and blue that you could see straight through to the bottom. Oysters played a big role in keeping the bay clean. Colonial era oyster beds filtered the entire Chesapeake Bay every three to four days. Today’s oyster population would take an entire year to clean the bay.

The Upper York River oyster beds attracted New York businessmen in the 19th century, and “oyster seeds” from the York were used to replenish northern beds. Ultimately an oyster “gold-rush” led to a crash of the industry. Blame was also placed on the West Point paper industry, and lawsuits were filed against The Chesapeake Corporation. Despite winning the lawsuits, The Chesapeake Corporation tried to mitigate their responsibility by experimenting with oyster farming, and established the Sea-Rac oyster farm that supplied some of America’s best restaurants in the 1930’s.

While World War II led to the ultimate demise of the farming operation, local watermen continued to pull oysters from those grounds well into this century, but by then the damage had been done, and the oyster population had been decimated, a mere one percent of its historical numbers. When the Hild’s started Anderson’s Neck Oyster Company their mission was to bring aquaculture back to the York and “resurrect the region’s historical semblance and natural beauty.” The Anderson’s Neck Oyster Company runs a carefully designed and innovative operation that is is poised to become one of the nation’s largest producers of high-end cocktail oysters.

I spent a recent Sunday visiting their property and seeing their process firsthand. We walked down the half-mile dock that traverses a marsh on the way to the river, spotting an eagle in the distance and blue herons patrolling the shoreline. Hopping in their boat, we headed to the nursery to meet the young oysters. The operation starts with oyster seeds about the size of a pepper flake that are cultivated in the protective confines of a solar-powered floating oysterplex.

Water pumps constantly through upwellers over the trays of seeds, feeding them until they are large enough to be moved into cages. The oysterplex floats in the Morris/Poropotank Bays, protected and sheltered from the stormy waters of the York River. When the oysters grow large enough, they move to a series of floating cages, kept close to the surface of the water and the phytoplankton on which they feed. When they reach a more mature size of about two inches, they move to their final stage in cages in the York River in leased oyster grounds adjacent to the Anderson’s Neck property. There, in the choppy waters of the river, exposed to the ebb and flow of the tides they grow heartier, strengthening their abductor muscles, until they are ready to be shipped around the country. In all, it’s about an 18-month journey from seed to harvest.

Like many farmed oysters, Anderson’s Neck oysters are more consistent in size than theirwild brethren—they also have a deeper cup, and are better at “holding their liquor.” They have a clean, slightly salty flavor, reflective of the salinity of the water in which they are raised. You can order them online and have them shipped to your door, or you can also find them in some of Richmond’s best restaurants, including Heritage, Mezzanine, Saison, Dutch & Company, and The Magpie.

The Hilds have a bright future as they grow their business an oyster at a time. As they do, their work pays back the environment as well, improving the health of the waters that gives their business life.