Jessica Leigh Lebos hosts the Tybee Island Marine Science Center podcast and interviews Laura Solomon, co-founder of Tybee Oyster Company, about their floating oyster farm in the Bull River near Wilmington Island and how it produces salty, consistent oysters for Tybee, Savannah and other restaurants in the region.

Solomon explains year-round harvesting through refrigeration, food-safety cold chain practices, and keeping oysters submerged and shaded in summer, along with Georgia’s recent regulatory framework for oyster mariculture and oversight by DNR, Department of Agriculture, Army Corps, Coast Guard, and NOAA. She describes the farm’s seed-to-harvest process (including a FLUPSY nursery), culling for quality, and the ecological role of oysters as keystone species.

The conversation covers oyster-history on the Georgia coast, shell recycling and restoration with partners like Shell to Shore, and Tybee Oyster Company’s nonprofit Eco Georgia (started in 2024) which works with eight schools on oyster education, advocacy, and student projects. Solomon also previews Eco Georgia’s Nov. 8 oyster festival fundraiser at Starland Yard featuring Georgia-grown oysters, local chefs, and beverage partners, and discusses scaling challenges, storm impacts, and her preferred way to eat oysters.

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Proudly produced by Dee Daniels Media Podcast Network

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:30 Where the Farm Lives

02:26 Year Round Oyster Safety

03:37 Permits and Regulators

04:57 Farm Gear and Nursery

06:25 Perfect Oyster Process

07:27 Oysters as Community

09:48 Restoration and History

14:30 ECO Schools Program

17:33 Georgia Oyster Festival

19:31 Scaling and Storms

23:00 Marsh Challenges and Terroir

25:19 How Laura Eats Oysters

26:14 Closing and Membership