CAPTAIN MATT KETCHAM

Matt Ketcham, owner of Peconic Gold Oysters Inc. , developed a love for the sea early in life through fishing. Formally a captain on the Prime Time III, a Party/Charter boat sailing from Orient Point, NY; he can't picture doing anything else but working on the water. 

After high school, he wrestled and studied at the University of Rhode Island, where he gained an even further interest for the sea by working on commercial and recreational fishing boats, as well as oyster farms throughout the Northeast. He received a Bachelor's of Science degree through the University's world-renowned Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology program. 

In 2009, the Suffolk County Aquaculture Leasing Program presented Matt with an amazing opportunity to apply for a lease on underwater lands in the historically productive Great Peconic Bay. After winning a lottery, his 10-acre lease in the Great Peconic Bay was secured.  No time was wasted applying for permits and buying gear.

After a lot of hard work and help from family and friends in May, 2013 the first 100,000 oysters was planted on the farm utilizing off bottom culture. A combination of art and science, oyster farming is a constant learning process. It is extremely rewarding work and if there’s one thing that we learned from our first season selling oysters it's that we need to grow a lot more! And more is exactly what we have been doing! 

In the Fall of 2019, Matt and his team celebrated the grand opening of the Peconic Gold Oyster Farmstand located at 21125 County Road 48 in Cutchogue. The farmstand is open daily for self service for Peconic Gold Oysters in the shell, shucked pints of Peconic Gold Oysters, and various value added products fresh from the Great Peconic Bay!

Matt currently serves on the Long Island Farm Bureau Board of Directors representing Aquaculture and is a proud member of the New York Farm Bureau's Young Farmers & Ranchers Program.

In 2022, Matt was elected the New York State representative for the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association.

Matt lives in Mattituck with his wife, Kelsey, their two year old son, Wyatt, and Rango, the oyster pup.