Malpeque Bay

Malpeque Bay is a picturesque bay so deeply indented into the northeast coast of Prince Edward Island that its southern edge lies within 7 km of the south coast of the Island. Aptly named from the Micmac word makpaak, ("the big water"), it contains several islands and many small rivers and creeks flow into it. Its waters support a thriving shellfish industry, most notably its world-famous cultivated oysters. These are grown on "farms," where the young seed oysters are sown and later harvested from the mud on the bottom of the bay with long-handled, rake-ended tongs that are worked like scissors.