Jeff Gardner

Jeff has been farming shellfish (oysters, clams and bay scallops) since 1990.  He is the owner of Watch Hill Oysters, a trademarked brand.

Jeff has a medium-sized farm in Rhode Island, and is proud to be growing a clean, popular, sustainable and healthy food.  He is very pleased to help the farmed shellfish industry grow and create "green" living-wage jobs.

Prior to his aquaculture ventures in Rhode Island and Virginia, Jeff owned two record stores for 20 years.  He is an Eagle boy scout and graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1974.

Happily married for 39 years to his wife, Nancy, Jeff has lived on Winnapaug Pond, a coastal estuary in the town of Westerly and the location of his farm, since 1979.  He still enjoys fishing, kayaking, sailing, rowing, scalloping, clamming, snorkeling and birdwatching on the pond and in the nearby ocean.

Jeff has served on the ECSGA board of directors since its inception. He has been a member of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's Shellfish Advisory Panel for more than 10 years and was a founding board member of the Rhode Island Salt Pond Coalition, where he served for 17 years.

He also served on the executive board of the Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center. Jeff has been involved with shellfish research grants involving the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, the University of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University, the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mass., the National Resource Conservation Service, Sea Grant, Northeastern University and others.

Jeff is 64 years young and "very happy and proud" to see the growth of the shellfish farming community.

Contact Jeff at: