On the waters of Adams Bay with Captain Matt Tesvich, a fourth-generation oysterman from Jesuit Bend, Louisiana, documenting oyster harvest for The Boil Advisory’s latest issue.

Portrait of Matt Tesvich abord the R.M. Tesvich
Stakes in the water mark oyster leases and discourages trawling in the area
Matt empties a dredging cage onto a steel table
Wild caught oysters are often covered in mussels
A culling tool - a small axe one side, a hammer on the other, on a cleaning table
Matt raises a dredging cage to rinse the mud from the oysters
A deckhand on the boat culls oysters
Culled Gulf oysters fill a basket next to the cleaning table
Once filled, the basket is tipped into a burlap sack, which is stowed for the rest of the trip
Gulls trail the oyster boat on the journey back to dock