Found off the Essex coast, this oyster measures about a foot in length, making it roughly the size of a newborn baby.
Tom Haward via SWNSThe massive oyster found along the Essex coast.
Tom Haward recently got a shock when his seafood delicacy company in Essex, England harvested a “monster” oyster weighing more than five pounds.
Retrieved just along the coast of Mersea Island, the massive mollusk is about the size of a newborn baby. The oyster measures roughly 12 inches long and five inches wide. And while oysters typically only live up to six years in harvested waters, Haward estimates that this behemoth could be 20 years old.
“Flipping Heck” — The Massive Oyster Stuns Seafood Business Owner
Speaking to Talker News, Haward expressed his shock at seeing the oyster’s size.
Tom Haward via SWNSTom Haward, pictured here with a regular oyster.
“My first thought was ‘flipping heck,'” he said. “We work with oysters all the time and see thousands upon thousands a day. But to see one like that, it was fascinating. You could see the growth lines on it, just like a tree. It’s very intriguing.”
Haward is the current owner of Richard Haward’s Oysters, a family business that was founded in 1769. The company has been in his family for eight generations and reportedly harvests roughly one million mollusks each year. But this was by far the largest oyster Haward had ever seen.
“We do sell big ones,” he said, “but they don’t usually go beyond being around six years old. We can miss oysters, we don’t always get them all, especially looking after 14 acres of oyster beds. Finding this one was rare but it was also potluck.”
Haward suspects the oyster is around 20 years old. But despite its massive size, he said it would likely only sell for around £10 (roughly $12.75 USD). He did say, however, that he might consider putting this rare find up for auction, with proceeds from the sale being donated to a lifeboat charity.
Haward also joked that the oyster is about as big as his daughter, Autumn, was when she was born: “She weighed about six pounds, this one was 5.5 pounds.”
Tom Haward via SWNSHaward’s daughter, Autumn, holding the “monster” oyster.
“Autumn loves the sea so she could be the ninth generation of Richard Haward’s Oysters,” he added. “We’ve been doing this for 300 years and it’s still as exciting for us as it was back then.”
The Biggest Oyster Ever Harvested
Although Haward’s oyster is indeed massive, it is sadly not a record-breaker. In fact, it was just 1.5 inches smaller than the Guinness World Record-holding largest oyster, which was discovered in Denmark.
Guinness World RecordsThe largest oyster ever found.
According to Guinness, the largest oyster ever found measured in at 13.97 inches long, 4.21 inches wide. It was found on Dec. 17, 2013 along the Danish shores of the Wadden Sea. Curiously, it had five other oysters attached to it when it was harvested and weighed a full two pounds less than Haward’s oyster.
These remarkable discoveries show just how mysterious and awe-inspiring even the familiar parts of the ocean can be.
After reading about the discovery of this monster oyster, check out this stunning gallery of vintage deep sea creature illustrations. Then, check out these terrifying sea creatures you won’t believe are real.
