A guardian of the sea.

Every farm has a story, a conception. Ouonnie Siren Oysters’ story is one of resource protection and the hope of one woman to teach her daughters to be better stewards of the sea. 

For Jennifer Scappatura, the ocean holds a special power, yet, her story did not begin on the water. In high school and college, Jennifer’s teachers and mentors stressed that art was her strength, guiding her to a successful career in marketing, design, and advertising. However, weekends were always enjoyed by the sea and her work-weeks in the city were spent in anticipation of kayaking and clamming with her three daughters. 

But it wasn’t just the lure of the salt air smell, the serenity of floating on the water, and the calming crashing of waves on the beach that tied her to the coast. Jennifer began to notice change; increasingly smaller and smaller dead oysters, new and foreign creatures competing with native wildlife, and a general dampening of the vibrance of the salt ponds due to over-development. 

When Monday mornings came around, this change began to make her 4am commute harder and harder. Jennifer felt that her purpose in life was shifting from one of a creator to that of an environmentalist. She sought to restore and protect the marine ecosystem to foster a better future for her daughters and insight an attitude of marine stewardship in other marine resource users. Thus, through aquaculture, Jennifer’s passion for the sea, and her drive to restore and conserve our greatest resource became her living. 

Jennifer would like to thank the friends, family, and fellow oyster farmers who helped her make Quonnie Siren Oysters a reality.