Case Study: Taylor Shellfish Farms achieves end-to-end oyster traceability and operational resilience with ESRI

Tracing Each Oyster from Tide to Table

Taylor Shellfish Farms, the largest shellfish producer in the US with 30 farms across roughly 10,000 acres, faced severe losses from ocean acidification that threatened hatchery survival and long‑term viability. To support a new genetics program and improve traceability from tide to table, Taylor partnered with ESRI and adopted its ArcGIS platform and related apps (Survey123, Collector, Explorer, Workforce, Drone2Map, plus 3D and story maps) to bring farm data, maps, and field workflows into a single, mobile system.

Using ESRI’s cloud GIS and handheld apps, Taylor now captures real‑time, multilingual field data, drone‑derived elevation maps, offline editing in remote areas, and coordinated sampling with tribal partners—replacing hand‑drawn maps and centralizing operational knowledge. The solution enabled farm‑to‑farm comparisons to quantify best practices, strengthen permit compliance and traceability, and preserve institutional knowledge (helpful after a manager’s injury); Taylor estimates that even a 2–3% improvement in survival yields meaningful value across its operations.

Taylor Shellfish Farms

Nyle Taylor

Taylor Shellfish Farms