To place an order for oyster seed please contact Stacey Willey (UMCES HPL, phone: 410-221-8357, email: swilley@umces.edu). Seed are typically sold by the thousand but smaller orders may, at times, be accommodated. Please call or email to inquire availability.

A 50% non-refundable deposit is required for all types of seed when THE ORDER IS PLACED for the order to be valid. All orders are custom produced. The time it will take for orders to be ready will vary. All sales must be PAID IN FULL before product will be released. Payments for Diploid Wild, Triploid and Disease Resistant (DR) Seed must be made to UMCES HPL by credit card, check, or money order. Cash will not be accepted. Personal checks will not be accepted for orders over $500 without prior approval.

Once notice is given that your Seed order is ready, you will be given a total balance due (less your deposit), and have 7 business days in which to pick up your order.  If the order is not picked up within those 7 days, your order will be cancelled and your deposit will be forfeited. Full payment is due before or at the time of pickup. Payments for Diploid Wild, Triploid and Disease Resistant (DR) Seed must be made to UMCES HPL by credit card, check, or money order. Cash will not be accepted. All sales MUST BE PAID IN FULL before product will be released/shipped. Personal checks will not be accepted for orders over $500 without prior approval. A certified check, money order, or credit card is required.

It is highly recommended that you arrange to pick up your order. However, we understand that this may not always be reasonable. In these cases, please be aware that seed are delicate and need to be handled with care and in a timely manner to avoid problems that may arise. The hatchery is not responsible for damage to the shipment once it leaves our facility. Shipments should be accepted by someone that is familiar with the product, and accepted only if the shipment is in good shape. Once received, you should immediately inspect your seed. If you have any problems with  your order, you must contact the hatchery and ship the seed back to the hatchery the same day you received it in its original packaging. The hatchery does not guarantee 100% single oysters, some clusters should be expected. Failure to follow the protocols outlined by the hatchery may result in the loss of oysters within the shipment and is the responsibility of the grower, not the hatchery.

Once notice is given that your seed order is ready, you will be given a total balance due (less your deposit) that does not include shipping costs. All orders MUST BE PAID IN FULL before product will be released/shipped. Once full payment is received, a hatchery staff member will assist with scheduling a shipment of your order via FedEx or another shipper selected by the customer. Upon notice, shipping must be scheduled within 7 business days with delivery date within 10 business days. Failure to schedule/receive shipment within this time frame could delay your order. Future product availability is not guaranteed. We do not ship on Fridays or weekends. You must obtain your own FedEx account number which is billed directly by FedEx. Orders containing 200,000 or more seed may have to be shipped in multiple shipments over a given timespan.

In the event that the facility is unable to fulfill your order, you will be refunded your deposit (if applicable). Please allow 6-8 weeks for checks and up to a week for credit card refunds to be processed.

Mandatory royalty fees for disease resistant and triploid oyster have been included in the prices above.

* Diploid Disease Resistant are selectively bred, disease-resistant oysters made or sold under license from Virginia Institute of Marine Science Aquaculture Center.

** Triploid Disease Resistant are natural triploids produced under license from 4Cs Breeding Technologies, Inc.

** 2mm seed is available for pick up only unless discussed otherwise.

*** Maximum orders of 200,000 at one time. This size will likely not be available until July. Please call about earlier availability.