Alaska Grown

Hump Island Oyster Company is owned and operated by the Sande family. They are proud to produce an oyster that is a beautiful and briny reflection of the wild place they call home.

An Oyster Company is Born

The Hump Island Oyster farm started in 2010 when Trevor Sande, a civil engineer by day, hung 150,000 oysters at a small tideland lease a few miles from the family home at Hump Island.  He quickly realized what a special place he had chosen for growing oysters.  As the tides ebb and flow twice a day, the deep nutrient rich waters of Clarence Strait and Behm Canal are pushed though the narrow passages between the island and our floating farm.  This upwelling of water creates a unique flavor and some truly special oysters.   

The farm has nearly doubled in size every year since and is now ready to share these cold water beauties with the world. Our oysters are raised in trays suspended from cedar floats. They are then sorted and tumbled as they grow to develop deep cups filled with rich meat. The fresh and pristine Alaskan water fosters a rich environment for our very bold oysters.   

As we built our farm, we kept the larger global community in mind. Today, the Hump Island Oyster Company strives to perfect the art and science of ocean farming in this unique region of Southeast Alaska. This goes hand in hand with our goal of helping to build an industry that benefits the local community, region, and State. The Hump Island team is committed to provide encouragement, support, tools and training to other interested farmers to grow an industry which has positive impacts for people and the planet.  

Sharing Our Story

In the summer of 2019, we decided to start a tour branch of Hump Island Oyster Company, thus Bonfire Bay Tour Company was born. Our tours offer guests a scenic, coastal cruise to Hump Island, followed by a guided, in-depth exploration that dives into exactly how our cold water bivalves are cultivated. Afterwards, we escort our visitors to the tasting bar, where your taste buds will be tantalized with the pairing of our signature Hump Island Oysters and refreshing, locally-brewed beverages.

The Sande Legacy

Ed and Nellie Sande traveled to the frontier fishing and logging town of Ketchikan, Alaska from Stanwood, Washington in the early 1920's and fell in love with the last frontier: Alaska. They started a men's clothing store in 1927 and helped build the First Lutheran church in 1930 with a handful of their fellow Norwegian neighbors. From them came several generations of seafaring men. Their son Jim, grandson Jan, and great-grandsons Trevor and Shawn all fished commercially. Jim and Jan developed careers in the Maritime industry and both Captained ships for the Alaska Marine Highway System with Jim serving as Captain for the AMHS M/V Taku and Jan serving as Captain for the AMHS M/V Aurora. The ships wheel prominently depicted in the Hump Island Oyster Company logo is a tribute to their decades at sea, safely bringing travelers home.

Experimenting with Kelp

In 2016, Hump Island began experimenting with the production of Alaria and Bull kelp. In partnership with Barnacle Foods based in Juneau, Alaska, we set out to grow 50,000 pounds of both species of kelp, which would have been used primarily in Barnacle’s locally-made kelp salsas and seasonings. We set out to grow the kelp by attaching seed to purse lines that were anchored at depths of around 25 feet. Bull kelp is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, lengthening almost a foot a day, which presented buoyancy challenges for our small team. Kelp requires no fresh water or fertilizer to grow, which proves it to be one of the most eco-friendly growing mariculture operations available.