Are Your Oysters Still from the Sea? Why Artificial Seawater Tanks May Change Everything

When you order oysters, you're not just buying shellfish — you're tasting the ocean. Or at least, you should be.

Increasingly, some suppliers store oysters in seawater tanks — not at the farm, but after transport. And here’s the twist: many of these tanks use artificial seawater, created from salt mixes and purified water. While this may help maintain hygiene or extend shelf life, it raises a critical question: are these oysters still true to their origin?

The Disruption of Terroir

Oysters are deeply shaped by their environment. The salinity, algae content, mineral composition, and even the microorganisms in the water where they’re grown define their terroir — a term borrowed from wine, meaning “taste of place.” A briny oyster from Normandy will never taste the same as a buttery one from Hiroshima, and that’s the beauty of it.

But once you take that oyster out of its native waters and submerge it in an artificial tank? You’re stripping it of the very elements that give it character. Within just 12 to 48 hours, oysters begin to filter and flush out their original seawater and start absorbing the new environment. Flavours flatten. Nuances fade. And what you’re left with is a generic-tasting oyster — clean, perhaps, but also soulless.

Convenience Over Character

Artificial seawater tanks are often used for:

Logistical convenience: Holding stock longer without spoilage

Clean appearance: Filtering out silt or grit before sale

Customising salinity: Some suppliers tweak salt levels to suit “market preferences”

But in chasing visual perfection or longer shelf life, something is lost — the raw, unfiltered identity of the oyster.

The Case for Authenticity

At The Oyster Cart, we believe oysters should be tasted as nature intended — straight from their original waters, unaltered. That’s why we source, store, and serve oysters without artificial reconditioning. No fake salt baths. No rinsing away of identity.

Because when you taste an oyster, it should taste of where it came from — not where it was held.