Drakes Bay Oyster Company was an oyster farm and restaurant formerly located at the shoreline and in

Drakes Estero Drakes Estero is an expansive estuary in the Point Reyes National Seashore of Marin County on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States, approximately northwest of San Francisco. Location and description Situated at , the ...

at 38°04'57.3"N 122°55'55.0"W, a bay within

Point Reyes National Seashore Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as an important nature preserve. Some existing agricult ...

, on the

West Marin West Marin is the largest rural region of Marin County, California. The West Marin Chamber of Commerce includes seven unincorporated communities in its definition of West Marin: Point Reyes Station, Olema, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, Tomales, Di ...

coast of

Marin County Marin County is a county located in the northwestern part of the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 262,231. Its county seat and largest city is San Rafael. Marin County is acros ...

, in Northern California. In 2011, the lease for the business operation was not renewed at the direction of the

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...

. After a two-year court battle, the business was terminated in December 2014, and Drakes Estero was cleared of the offshore racks and onshore structures, with the work completed in 2017.

History

A lease was signed between the company and the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

in 1972 for oyster farming within the bay. Drakes Estero is protected within the NPS

, part of the regional NPS

Golden Gate National Recreation Area The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is a U.S. National Recreation Area protecting of ecologically and historically significant landscapes surrounding the San Francisco Bay Area. Much of the park is land formerly used by the United ...

. The company was one of the largest shellfish operations in California, producing over eight million non-native oysters a year.

Closure

The Drakes Bay Oyster Company's farm in the bay was originally slated to close on 31 July 2012, as its permit to operate had expired and the National Park Service had been directed to restore the area to its natural state. The decision to close the company was made in 2011 by

Ken Salazar Kenneth Lee Salazar (born March 2, 1955) is an American lawyer, politician, and diplomat who is the United States ambassador to Mexico. He previously served as the 50th United States Secretary of the Interior in the administration of President Ba ...

, the United States Secretary of the Interior on the grounds it would set a precedent for other park lands. Salazar had telephoned owner Kevin Lunny personally to inform him of the decision, and later stated “The estero is one of our nation's crown jewels, and today we are fulfilling the vision to protect this special place for generations to come." The company's retail and restaurant operations on shore closed in July 2012. Due to an injunction filed by regional restaurants, the company continued to harvest oysters for commercial sales, until the National Park Service gave a 30-day notice for permanent closure of all operations. In early December 2014, the legal case by the restaurants and other interests was dropped, and the company terminated the oyster operation completely by the end of December 2014. Environmentalists hailed the outcome, allowing on-shore and off-shore environmental cleanup and

habitat restoration Restoration ecology is the scientific study supporting the practice of ecological restoration, which is the practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human interrupt ...

projects to commence. The removal work, including 500 tons of debris, was completed in 2017.NPS.gov: Drakes Estero restoration projects
/ref> Upon final completion, the closure effectively returned Drake's Estero to its original ecosystem condition, and established the waters as a permanent wildlife sanctuary within the Phillip Burton Marine Wilderness Area and Point Reyes National Seashore.

References

External links

Drakes Bay Oyster Company website
— ''environmental cleanups and habitat restoration projects''
NPS.gov: Map of Drakes Estero with Oyster Racks and Culture Beds (2008)
{{authority control Oysters Oyster bars in the United States Point Reyes National Seashore West Marin Companies based in Marin County, California Food and drink companies based in California Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area Defunct restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area Food and drink companies established in 1972 Food and drink companies disestablished in 2014 1972 establishments in California 2014 disestablishments in California Demolished buildings and structures in California Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area