Inside the sweet and briny job of an oyster farmer

Marketplace Morning Report’s “What’s That Like?” series is exploring the odd, unusual and downright weird jobs that help prop up our economy.

Growing up next to the waters of Duxbury Bay, Massachusetts, William Bennett, better known as Skip, sought a lifestyle over a job.

“I think at some point I had reconciled in my mind that I was committing to a lifestyle for my life, more than trying to make a lot of money or have some modicum of security,” Bennett told Marketplace. 

Bennett started shellfishing in high school and eventually looked to build a career out of the work. The path forward proved difficult though. While attempting to grow clam seed in the bay, Bennett encountered two “once-in-a-lifetime” storms and a parasite that wiped out his clams. 

Then, it was on to oysters. “I was able to find some oyster seed from a hatchery up in Maine, and I didn't even know if they'd grow out in the bay because there were no wild oysters," he said.

After a particularly difficult time trying to make a career out of shellfishing, Bennett told his then-landlord he was thinking about finding work elsewhere. 

“My landlord was a sort of hard-core entrepreneur, and I remember at one point he said, ‘What are you going to do?’ And I said, ‘I think I'm going to try to get a job.’ And he laughed, and he said, ‘You're unemployable.’” 

“Unemployable” is an adjective that many would find insulting. But Bennett wore it like a badge of honor.

“Coming from him, it was a great compliment. He was saying, ‘You're supposed to work for yourself,’ and so I just had a lot of hope.”

So let’s get cracking on these oysters. To learn more about the ins and outs of oyster farming, click the audio player above.