On Monday, June 9, Eastern States Exposition (ESE) bestowed Copps Island Oysters by Norm Bloom and Son, LLC with the Agricultural Adventurers Award. The award was presented by ESE President and CEO Gene Cassidy, accompanied by ESE staff, at the Bloom family’s four-generational aquaculture site in Norwalk, Conn. This is the first time an aquaculture farm has received this prestigious recognition.
Since 1953, the New England Fellowship of Agricultural Adventurers has celebrated exceptional farmers from New England. In 1968, ESE first sponsored the award. Nominations are sent to a selection committee, appointed by the ESE Board of Trustees. The committee reviews candidates and selects a fellow based on innovation, pioneering and lifetime dedication to the betterment of agriculture. This year’s committee, led by Chairman Greg Breene of R.I., selected Copps Island Oysters for their multi-faceted approach to shellfish farming, commitment to sustainability and population regeneration efforts.
“We were impressed by your accomplishments, as well as your ongoing work to ensure clean waters in the Long Island Sound and a safe, sustainable oyster for now and the future,” said Breene.
“People in the agricultural industry tend to be overlooked,” Cassidy added. “This is a great mechanism for Eastern States Exposition to promote what you’re doing to the larger world. We’ve lost so many farms since Eastern States Exposition was founded in 1916, and we do our best to keep your work going, because what you’re doing is important, both as a consequential family business and for the next generation.”
In 1994, Norm Bloom Jr. founded Copps Island Oysters, which provides its nationwide distributors with a high-quality, consistent product. However, the farm’s history stretches back to the 1940s, when Norm Bloom Sr. and his twin brother, Hillard Bloom, first decided to invest in the industry. In 1972, they purchased the Tallmadge Brothers Oyster Company. Now, Norm Jr. and his son, Jimmy, and daughter, Jeanne, carry on the Bloom brothers’ legacy, with a renewed approach and the support of their spouses and loyal staff.
“Norm Bloom and Sons is made up of families,” said Norm Jr. “And I don’t just mean my family—it’s the families of the people working for me. I have employees that started with me, and their kids are working here… It’s hard work due to the environment and the weather. It has its ups and downs; storms hit, and you lose product… What keeps us going through all of that is families.”
The Blooms hold leases and grants for approximately 14,000 acres of municipally owned and state-permitted beds in the Long Island Sound. They harvest oysters, clams, lobsters and sugar kelp utilizing traditional offshore farming techniques. Their chilling process for fresh catch is treated as an industry example by the FDA. They are the only northeastern oystermen who maintain and replant a 300,000-bushel shell pile each year to help sustain the population. Additionally, Jimmy has designed and implemented a large-scale, multi-site hatchery system.
While discussing the hatchery process, Jimmy explained, “The idea is to have a more controlled, consistent supply of seed.” Oysters are a three-year crop, so investing in spat supply ensures the future of Copps Island Oysters for years to come.
Norm Bloom and Sons, LLC is committed to sustainability and works closely with organizations that work tirelessly to protect the Long Island Sound estuary, as well as the bodies of water that feed it. These groups include Soundkeeper, Save the Sound and Harbor Watch, to which Jimmy devotes 50-100 hours of his time annually. Additionally, the farm has established its own nonprofit, East Norwalk Blue, which runs a pump-out program for seasonal boaters to maintain water quality.
An on-site museum filled with oyster farming memorabilia, such as dredges and shucking stations, welcomes curious elementary school children during the academic year.
Jeanne has devised many creative ventures to expand the farm’s scope, including food trucks, an appealing and informative online presence, a catering business and a retail storefront. Her gift boutique, The Oysterman’s Daughter, sells prepackaged catch, branded merchandise, seafood cookbooks, sunscreen and VESSL, a skincare line created using the farm’s sugar kelp harvest. Their efforts bring aquaculture to a broader audience and raise awareness for the Copps Island Oysters mission.
Norm received a Lifetime Environmental Achievement Award from the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters in 2021. The entire family received a Connecticut General Assembly Citation recognizing Norm’s dedication. Jimmy was named Connecticut ’s Outstanding Young Farmer in 2020, appointed to the Connecticut Aquaculture Advisory Council and serves as a regional industry representative for the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. The family are also Connecticut Farm Bureau members, through which they advocate for the shellfish and marine industries.
“It means a lot that people out there are watching us and seeing what we’re doing,” Norm Jr. continued. “What made me real proud about this [award] is that you can’t see my farm. It’s all underwater. People drive over it all day, and they don’t see it. It’s not like cornfields or other farms, which you can see. To have [the committee] pick us for an award like this, they had to look into us pretty well. That made me feel good.”
The Agricultural Adventurers Award champions innovative pioneers within the farm industry that have made significant contributions to the agricultural revolution that has shaped the American way. ESE is grateful to the Bloom family for their transformational impact on oyster farming, as well as their proactive approach to the future. Without their influence on regional and national agriculture, the East Coast would be a drastically different place.