The Matunuck Oyster Farm was founded in 1992 by Perry Raso as Ocean State Aqua Farm. It is currently located on a 6.9 acre commercial aquaculture lease. It is here where shellfish nursery and growout maintenance, marketing, packing and distributing take place.

Perry Raso

Perry Raso has been a licensed Commercial Shellfisherman and Aquaculturist since 1992, when began his career by bull raking little necks in Point Judith Pond. He went on to trapping eels and digging in Charlestown Pond and eventually diving for steamers and little necks in Potters Pond.

Perry received a BS in Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology from the University of Rhode Island and Masters in Aquaculture Science. He is the president of the Ocean State Aquaculture Association (OSAA) and a board memeber of the Rhode Island Coalition for Agriculture Education and Promotion and the Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center. Perry is also a member of the National Shellfisheries Association, World Aquaculture Society and Aquaculture Without Frontiers.

He spent time in the Cape Verde Islands studying the potential of shellfish aquaculture in developing countries.
He's also conducted field research including the study of shellfish aquaculture's effect on total organic carbon (TOC)in the benthos and examining growth and survival of Mercenaria mercenaria (the little neck clam) in the Buzzard's Bay seeding project.

Perry has extensive knowlege of marine and estuarine environments, fish and shellfish physiology and resource economics. He also has vast experience marketing, packing and shipping seafood to wholesalers, retailmarkets, restaurants and end users at open air markets.

Perry is also a licensed research diver and commercial scuba diver. He's logged over 6,000 inshore/offshore maritime hours including working on lobster boats, draggers, aquaculture leases and commercial harvest.

He was a Graduate Teaching Fellow for the G-K through 12 programs. He has been a University of Rhode Island Coastal Fellow Mentor for 5 years. He is also the principal investigator of an aquaculture education project funded in the amount of $84,000.

Perry is also committed to sustainible aquaculture development in developing countries. He most recently travelled to Ethiopia to assist fishermen and terrestrial farmers in the marketing of tilapia.