Farming the Sea

Farming the Sea: a glimpse inside Coastal Georgia’s clam farming

by LeeAnna Tatum

The imagery that comes to mind when we think of farming is usually bucolic in nature and includes things like farmers, tractors, grazing livestock, neat geometric rows of vegetation and fields of green. None of this applies, however, to clam farming.

At Sapelo Sea Farms located in Townsend, you won’t find a farmer. Instead the operation is run by Charlie Phillips, or Captain Charlie, as he is known. And he doesn’t do his farming from a tractor, the machinery he relies on is his airboat.

Captain Charlie Phillips, owner of Sapelo Sea Farms and The Fish Dock Bar and Grill.

Tara Ruby Photography

There are no cows grazing on pastures, but you will find plenty of clams “grazing” on algae that is filtered from the sea. Instead of rows of neatly planted vegetables, you will find grids of carefully laid netting; and shades of green are replaced with the colors of the mud and the sea and marsh - shades of blue and gray and brown interspersed with splashes of green where the marsh grass thrives at the edges of land and sea and boundless sky.

Though it may not mesh well with our traditional views of land-based farming, the process is very much the same.

It all starts with a seed.

Tiny seed clams ready for planting.

Tara Ruby Photography

Tara Ruby Photography

It takes approximately two years for clams to go from seed to harvest. At Sapelo Sea Farms, the process of seeding and harvesting is perpetual. But between seeding and harvesting, there is a process similar to transplanting where the growing seed clams are taken up at about four months, spread out and dispersed into netted bags with larger holes and given the space they need in order to grow to a harvestable size. Then they are placed back in the mud where they will continue to feedand grow for approximately 18 months.

Though there isn’t much of a local market for clams, more than 70 percent of local clams are shipped out of the State, Coastal Georgia is a prime location for farming clams. Georgia marshes make a perfect habitat for clams. They need lots of mud to dig into, strong tides to keep their water supplies fresh and space away from developed areas or other sources of contamination.

Tara Ruby Photography

“Georgia has probably close to a third of all the marsh on the East Coast, so we have a lot of filtering. We also have higher tides until you get to New England,” Charlie explained. “Nobody south of New England has the kind of tides that we have, even in the Gulf of Mexico. We have a lot of tides, a lot of flushing, a lot of marsh for filtration. We keep our shellfish beds away from developed areas that are sources of contamination.”

These favorable conditions mean that clams can be harvested year-round and closures are rare. Even places like Florida and Maine which are perhaps more known for their clam production have to close for harvesting more often due to red tides which contaminate the waters.

Georgia’s coast is not only a great place for growing clams, but clams are a great asset for Georgia’s coast.

As Captain Charlie explains it, “Basically all they do is eat algae. They filter and actually clean the water while they’re growing. You don’t feed them, there’s no hormones or antibiotics, so all they do is just clean the water while they’re growing. So, it’s about as clean an industry as you can possibly get.”

Captain Charlie has been farming the sea for more than twenty years, but he has been fishing the sea for far longer. Working shrimp boats from the age of 14, there isn’t much he hasn’t done in the fishing industry.

Tara Ruby Photography

“I moved down here from Jesup when I was probably in the seventh grade. My dad had a shrimp boat built, so I was slave labor on the shrimp boat,” he said with a laugh. “I grew up always doing something on the water.”

“It’s hot, hard work,” Charlie said of his time working fishing boats. Charlie went from fishing on boats to running the fishing boats, to overseeing the docks. He then bought the dock and the fishing business from his father.

So, when his father decided he wanted to sell the restaurant at the dock, Charlie decided to buy it. He wasn’t all that interested in the restaurant business per se, but he did want to keep the property and he also saw it as an opportunity to help educate the public about seafood and sustainability.

“I want to educate people,” Charlie said, “and teach them, this is what you do if you take care of your environment and your water quality. These are things you can do. You can give people jobs, you can produce stuff and you can do it sustainably. And that is important to me.”

Tara Ruby Photography

When he took over Pelican Point, Charlie changed more than just the name. It’s new name The Fish Dock Bar & Grill reflects a new commitment to provide diners with a sea to table experience that they can’t get elsewhere. Situated on the edge of the marsh alongside the Sapelo River, the restaurant’s location gives diners the opportunity to watch fish and shrimp boats as they bring in their catch.

“They can come in and sit at the restaurant and watch the river and say, ‘that vermilion snapper you were eating came off that boat right over there.’ And you can’t do that anywhere else.”

“Even when I’m buying shrimp,” Charlie continued. “I make sure I’m getting them without chemicals. I know where they came from. I know what docks they came off of, a lot of times, I know what boats they came from. And I know shrimp because I’ve done it for a long time.”

Diners can enjoy seafood with confidence knowing that it is some of the freshest available and that Captain Charlie knows how to select the best for his patrons.

“I know all the people at the docks, I used to unload fish and I fished shrimp for years,” the Captain explained. “I know shrimp and I know fish. I don’t admit to knowing a hell of a lot about anything, but I will say that.”

And of course, there is never a shortage of fresh clams available to have on the menu.

A water-front view of the Fish Dock Bar and Grill.

Tara Ruby Photography

Charlie asserts that clams tend to be overlooked in favor of oysters here in Georgia, but he reckons that could come down to a lack of knowledge about proper cooking methods - once overcooked, clams become very chewy and less appetizing.

Tara Ruby Photography

Tara Ruby Photography

“Avoid overcooking by eating them raw,” he said with a smile. “It’s very, very tender. And it’s salty.”

If, however, you’d prefer to have them cooked to perfection, follow these simple instructions from the Captain himself.

“We cook a classic clam in the restaurant. Basically steamed in a broth with garlic and spices, that’s an easy way of doing it … Get a cast iron or heavy skillet with a lid, put a couple tablespoons of olive oil in there, saute some garlic, drop the clams in, add a little cilantro or something if you want, add in a quarter cup of white wine and then put the lid on it. That wine steams the clams and as soon as they start opening, pull them out. You don’t want to overcook them because that will make them tough.”

“Then you can take that broth at the bottom of the pan and it’s really good for french bread. You may have some grit in the bottom of the pan, so you just leave that in the pan when you pour the broth off. Really, really easy.”

When it comes to a sustainable product that actually improves its environment, it’s hard to think of anything better than a clam! So, next time you’re hungry for seafood from a shell, give a fresh, Georgia clam a try! Southeast Georgia is truly blessed with abundance, but who knew we can even farm the sea?

Our coverage of the local food movement of Southeast Georgia is brought to you through the partnership with our wonderful advertisers! To find out more about becoming an advertiser, contact us today at info@southernsoil.org!