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Select Board conditionally approves Jack Condon’s half‑acre oyster farm in the Slocums River
Summary
After months of departmental review, the board held a public hearing July 13 and voted to approve Jack Condon’s conditional aquaculture license for a half‑acre intertidal oyster operation, subject to state survey and departmental conditions.
The Dartmouth Select Board on July 13 conditionally approved an aquaculture application from local resident Jack Condon to operate a half‑acre bottom‑set oyster farm in the Slocums River.
Condon told the board the site is an intertidal sandbar location where bottom‑set cages will be fixed to the substrate and exposed for about two hours at low tide and submerged at higher tides. “I’ll be growing the American oyster,” Condon said, describing an initial plan of four to eight cages (each about 3 by 4 feet) and an initial seed of roughly 5,000 oysters, with an expected two‑year time to market in ideal conditions.
Harbormaster and Shellfish Constable Steve Mello, who worked with Condon during the review process, told the board this is the town’s fourth application and that the state must complete a survey to check for existing stock, eelgrass and water quality before final state approval. Mello noted the town’s regulatory ability to require bond or insurance for gear removal under the aquaculture regulations, but said the board has not commonly required such financial assurance in prior approvals.
The board closed the hearing after no public objections were raised, moved to approve the application with the customary departmental and state approvals, and voted unanimously to pass the conditional license. The approval is contingent on state survey results and any conditions required by conservation, harbor, and waterways review.
What happens next: The town’s conditional approval will be forwarded for state review and final authorization; Condon will be required to comply with any state or departmental conditions before commercial operations begin.
