Cavendish revisited

Just off-shore, two fishers work to flush oysters. The tasty molluscs grow in brackish water which is often sandy. Sandy oysters wouldn’t be marketable so fishers immerse them in clear sea water for a time to flush out the sand before the morsels are sent to market. 

We could see the cages with the oysters. This area is in New London Bay, tucked behind the sandspit at the western end of Cavendish Beach.

My husband and I had loaded our bikes and headed for the national park at Cavendish in Prince Edward Island. It is one of our favourite places to cycle and we visit often. There is always something different and interesting to see as we ride. This oyster cleansing was a first for us.

On the way to the Homestead Trail, we pass a patch of giant Cow Parsnip, 

which is at least waist height now. It resembles Queen Anne’s Lace which we haven’t seen yet this year.

Overhead, the contrails are back. 

Skies above Prince Edward Island are usually full of air traffic from across the Atlantic and the rest of North America. This past year, the contrails have been missing. Seeing them this day is a hopeful sign about returning to pre-Covid life.

The Homestead Trail is bumpier than we remember but it adds a new element to the journey. The canopy covers the trail in places and the bumpy downhill ride through light and dancing shadows makes us laugh when we compare experiences at the bottom of the hill.

Wildflowers abound, 

a succession of colour and variety, so we stop often. Beautiful floral faces reach for the sun. Rose bushes line a picnic area. 

Was a homestead here at one time?

Wild Madder is everywhere along the trail. 

Also known as Smooth Bedstraw, early settlers used it for mattress stuffing. It is also a source of dye and today pharmaceutical companies research its bioactive ingredients. Of course, it was used in traditional medicine.

Later, beside the Lake of Shining Waters, lupins reach for the sky too, with the dunes of Cavendish in the background.

Meanwhile, we notice the sea arch at MacNeills Brook is widening. How long until a sea stack is formed? 

Geological succession is fascinating too. 

Growing oysters

Raw oysters on the half shell may appear to be a long way from this place. 

However, this is where many oysters begin their journey to the oyster bars, tables in finer restaurants and our own tables. 

On this beautiful winter day, a drive along the north shore took us past the PEI Oyster Company. The facilities, located on one side of a bridge, were deserted. On the opposite side, four men worked on 

and under the ice. Burr...

At the worksite on the frozen bay, the men had cut out blocks of ice to allow access to the diver. Beneath them are the oysters which are at various stages of development. The growing time is from five to seven years to achieve market size. The process, at various stages, involves mesh bags, racks 

and cages. 

The frozen bay is no deterrent to these fishers.

I always admired fishers because of my knowledge of my grandfather’s work as a fisherman in Newfoundland. However, this glimpse of the oyster fishery today added another dimension to my appreciation of this work.