How much does a Norwalk oyster harvest weigh?

Enough to break the ice -- Norm Bloom and his son Jimmie of Copps Island Oysters in the Norwalk Harbor have spent multiple frigid mornings muscling their way out so they can harvest the mollusks.

They say they haul in oysters all year long for customers across the country. To do that, that means breaking up thick ice almost every day when temperatures remain below freezing.

"We've had some chunks come out of the harbor 6 to 8 inches thick, but in the main harbor we can get an inch, 2 inches overnight this time of year," the elder Bloom says. "So we try to keep that cleared out every day."  

The Blooms say their family has produced oystermen for four generations and runs one of the last standing traditional oysters farms in the country.

So they can't just freeze production.