Meet Johnson & Sons
8433 Cherry Point Rd. Suffolk, VA 23436
This Farmer Friday features a type of production most people don’t think of when they think of farmers – aquaculture! Aquaculture, or aquafarming, is the raising and harvesting of aquatic animals like fish, oysters/mollusks, and crustaceans.
We visited Johnson and Sons on April 11th to get a feel for the culture of aquaculture in Suffolk. This multi-generation family-owned business has been catching and selling blue crabs, oysters, and soft-shell crabs to the local community since 1977. During our tour of their facility, we were able to interview the younger Mr. Johnson.
We visited Johnson and Sons on April 11th to get a feel for the culture of aquaculture in Suffolk. This multi-generation family-owned business has been catching and selling blue crabs, oysters, and soft-shell crabs to the local community since 1977. During our tour of their facility, we were able to interview the younger Mr. Johnson.
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Tell me a fun fact about your business.
Our boats are named for the women in our family. The “Lisa Dawn” is my mother and “Christianna” is for my wife. How did you get started in aquaculture? I assisted my dad with fishing during the summer and stuck with it! Describe an average day for you. We go out on the water around 5:30am most days, earlier if we are trying to catch crab. The boat comes in anywhere from 12pm to 1pm. We harvest from several nearby bodies of water: Chuckatuck Creek, Nansemond River, near the Chesapeake Bay for crabs, and the James River for oysters. What is your favorite part about being on the water? I like watching soft crabs molt. I also see a variety of animals on the water that you might not expect to be in the area, like whales. We caught a dolphin once and were able to let it go – he was very happy to see us! What kind of products do you have by season? Are your products available year-round? Crabs and oysters make up about 90% of our product since they are constant and reliable. Peak crab season is mid-March through November. Depending on the year, we also offer seasonal fish. Our products are available year round but we do our best not to overharvest since they cannot be saved or stored for more than a day or two. Why Suffolk? Our family has lived here for generations and we’ve been at this location since our business started several decades ago. There is better fishing by the bay due to the oysters favoring the salinity levels there. Where are your products sold? 50% of the animals we catch go to retail, 50% go to restaurants and wholesalers. Wholesalers buy our oysters while restaurants buy our crabs. We supply crabmeat to several Hampton Roads restaurants: Coastal Grill in Virginia Beach, Harper’s Table*, Vintage Tavern*, Sushi Aka*, Fin & Tonic*, Smithfield Station, and Surry Seafood. We also sell to individuals as either pre-orders or walk-up sales (depending on availability). *restaurant is located in Suffolk What’s next for you? Mother Nature can be unpredictable so nothing is planned right now, unless anything steady appears. We are looking for new employees to join our crew. Do you permit people to visit you? We’re off the beaten path but Google Maps will get you to us! You can visit and buy seafood at our shore location at 1504 White Dogwood Trail. It’s highly recommended you call or text to schedule visits and pickups ahead of time though street traffic and walk-ups are permitted. How can potential customers reach you? We place regular advertisements in the newspaper but mostly rely on word of mouth to attract new people. Our Facebook page is not often used but does have the correct contact information and address to reach us. You can call or text us at 757-651-9264 to place orders and learn more about local fishing. |