If everything goes to plan, oyster eaters in Sussex County could have a new option in about 18 months. 

James Newlin and Anthony Feola, University of Delaware graduates and fraternity brothers, are the newest businessmen making a go of it in Delaware’s small, but growing aquaculture industry.

To get started, the two friends who make up Diamond State Oysters received 20,000 oyster seeds Sept. 18 from Ed Hale, an associate professor at the University of Delaware who oversees the university’s oyster hatchery off Pilottown Road in Lewes.

The exchange served as an opportunity for Newlin, a veteran military helicopter pilot and member of the Delaware National Guard, and Feola, a mechanical engineer who makes performance auto parts, to pick Hale’s brain on best practices for success. The three had only exchanged emails prior to the meeting.

Newlin said it’s been a multi-year process to get to this point. He said he was inspired to give aquaculture a try after seeing a video of someone doing it in North Carolina. He did some research and saw Delaware had a smaller program for the Inland Bays.

“I didn’t even know it was a thing in Rehoboth Bay,” said Newlin, who grew up fishing the state's waterways.

Newlin reached out to Feola after creating a business plan because, he said, he wanted an engineer’s take on the plan.

“After looking it over, I thought it was something that could work,” said Feola.

The site they’ve chosen is in Sally Cove, found in the western side of Rehoboth Bay.

Newlin said they’re starting small, so they chose Sally Cove because there are other aquaculturalists in the cove. Clearly, it’s an area that works, he said.

Hale said he thought it was a good idea to start small because growing conditions are site specific. What works in one area, may not work in another, he said.

Hale said another reason to start out small is because it allows time for the new business to cultivate relationships with local restaurants and seafood markets. If someone starts their operation too big but doesn't have a way to sell, it can be a big problem in 18 months when the oysters are ready, he said.

They may be starting small now, but Newlin and Feola said they also have thoughts about putting cages in Indian River Bay, near the mouth of Indian River.

“We’re just getting started,” said Newlin.

Hale is excited about the possibility of a grow site in that area. There's been interest to see how that area would do, but no one has given a shot yet, he said.

Right now, Newlin and Feola are using submerged cages anchored to the bay floor. Hale advised that for this winter that will likely be fine, but as the oysters get bigger, they may want to switch to floating cages because it's easier for predators to attack the oysters when they’re sitting on the bottom.

Even the exchange process was a learning experience for Newlin and Feola. Looking to keep their 20,000 oyster seeds cool during the hour-long drive to their boat, the two showed up with a cooler that was stuffed with ice packs.

Hale said to remove the ice packs because the oysters could get cold during the drive and then be shocked when put back in the still-warm bay water. They’ll be fine, he said, pointing to the fact that oysters often sit above the low-tide line and can survive for a bit.

It’s not just new oyster farmers who continue to learn, as Hale and his team also continue to make adjustments in their program to better serve the state’s aquaculturists.

For example, last summer, they were providing seeds that were the size of a pin head. This year, seeds are months older, closer to the size of a child’s fingernail.

It’s what the market is asking for, said Hale. It’s a little tougher to hold onto them, but the mortality rate for the larger oysters should be less through the winter season, he said.

Looking forward for Diamond State Oysters, Newlin and Feola are each keeping their day jobs for now because they recognize it’s going to be a slow start.

“At this point, we don’t know what we don’t know,” said Newlin. “But oysters grow in nature, so we’re excited to give it a try.”