CARLSBAD, Calif. — There is a farm out in a lagoon in Carlsbad.

The Carlsbad Aquafarm grows oysters and other shellfish while improving the surrounding environment.

For example, the shellfish clean and filter the water from the lagoon. Owner and CEO, Tom Grimm said they are, “farming by and for and with the sea.” When he got involved with aquafarm nearly a decade ago, he wanted to find a way to grow delicious things we eat in a way that wouldn’t take away from the environment surrounding them it, finding a better way to farm.

“Conservation is a way of life. So that’s a big part of how I approach the world,” Grimm said.

Grimm and the team have also figured out ways to grow crops, including wasabi plants, with water and nutrients from fish tanks and without a plot of land.

There are volunteer opportunities for people to work on some of the conservation efforts at the farm, including a project using oyster shells to build reefs to help slow beach erosion.