Our Company | Huitres Mallet Oysters

In 1972 a group of three friends, Livain Mallet, Herménégilde Mallet, and Gérard Godin, saw an opportunity to participate in the revitalization of New Brunswick’s oyster industry. The wild fishery had been decimated by Malpèque Disease, a mysterious disease whose cause was never identified, and modern cultivation techniques were needed to re-seed oyster beds. A small backwater inlet was identified as a culture site, and transformed into the perfect oyster habitat.

For them, oysters were a passion project, which was transmitted to the next generation. André Mallet, Livain's son, is at the helm of the company, which has diversified its operation through its oyster farm, wholesale activities, and shellfish hatchery. With a third generation of the Mallet family represented by his sons Marc André and Martin, we are continuing our journey together with a thirst for knowledge, and a love of oysters.

Owners

André Mallet, PhD

André Mallet is Livain Mallet’s oldest son. André grew up with the pioneers of the oyster industry, a time where everything was new and results were anything but guaranteed. A scuba-diving experience with René Lavoie, a biologist working for the federal goverment, sparked his passion for marine biology. This curiosity took him to obtain his PhD on the quantitative genetics of oysters (Dalhousie University), and he has been actively involved in shellfish aquaculture for the last 35 years where he worked as an independent scientist and consultant. Highly in demand for the depth and breadth of his experience, André’s work has taken him everywhere in the Maritimes and on almost every commercial shellfish species.

Martin Mallet, PhD

Martin Mallet is André eldest son. Like his father, Martin is passionate about science and biology. After finishing his PhD in evolutionary biology at Queen’s University, Martin joined the family farm in 2013 to continue his father’s work on the genetics of wild oyster populations. Having become a co-owner in 2015, Martin manages the hatchery and well as leading R&D efforts on oyster genetics.

Marc André Mallet, BSc

Marc André is André’s youngest son. From his summers working on the farm he developed a passion for oyster farming. After finishing his BSc in Biology (Dalhousie University), Marc André headed straight to the farm and got to work. Becoming a co-owner in 2015, he now runs the farm as well as handles the sales of market-sized oysters.

Location

We are located in Shippagan, a coastal town in northeastern New Brunswick. This sparsely populated region, with its numerous productive shallow bays, provides an ideal environment for growing oysters.

Our leases are located in Saint-Simon bay, which is covered with eelgrass and surrounded by peatlands and salt marshes. In the summer, water temperatures can exceed 25^oC, which is perfect for oysters. However, the winters are long and harsh. From November to April, our bays are covered with ice routinely exceeding 3 feet in thickness. Our oysters must enter a period of hibernation in order to survive this extended period where the waters too frigid to support algal growth. This ability is one of the reasons why our oysters have such a good shelf life!

Salt Water Pond

We manage a salt-water pond, which is connected to Shippagan Bay by a tidal gate. This pond becomes very productive in the summer, maintaining a high concentration of phytoplankton. This provides an ideal environment for our juvenile oysters, which are transferred here from the hatchery to grow before they can be planted out in the bay.