Dan Coll of the Union Oyster House Wins Annual Oyster Shucking Competition at this Year’s Seafood Expo in Boston

Congratulations to Dan Coll of Boston’s famous Union Oyster House, who was declared the winner of the 17th Annual Oyster Shucking Competition at the Seafood Expo North America conference. The highly anticipated competition took place on March 17, 2025 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in the city’s Seaport District, where the Expo holds its annual event.

Marina Theater Stage

Described as “a fun, heated competition where contestants are pitted against each other and the clock to shuck oysters as fast as they can,” the shuckers were advised that “contestants had to bring their own blades, and no mechanically assisted knives were permitted,” according to the Contest Rules. 

“Both speed and quality shucks are the key factors to winning this competition,” according to officials, who noted that Contestants shucked “a combination of both Atlantic (Crassotrea virginica) and Pacific Oysters (Crassotrea gigas).”

New Brunswick – Deliciously Canadian was sponsor of this year’s competition, which was held at the Marina Theater Stage inside the convention hall. Canada’s celebrity Chef Dennis Prescott was on hand to present to Coll a copy of his book, Cook with Confidence.

The Oyster Shucking Contestants

Coll himself was modest but excited about his victory. “I grew up in Gloucester MA, so seafood is in my blood,” says Coll, who has worked at the Union Oyster House for 14 years, mainly as a bartender at the historic restaurant. “I’ve actually shucked oysters in my childhood, but my skills were refined at the Union Oyster House.”

Coll traces his Irish-American roots to County Cork, and hopes to one day compete at the world famous oyster opening competition at the Galway Oyster Festival, taking place this year on September 26-28, 2025 at Nimmo’s Pier in Galway City. He says a lot of visitors from Ireland stop into the Union Oyster House each summer, a place renowned for its fresh seafood and especially its clam chowder.

The Union Oyster House was also a favorite spot of President John F. Kennedy, which he frequented whenever he was in Boston, especially enjoying the restaurant’s lobster stew. Co-owner Joe Milano recalls that Kennedy, a Boston native, “loved to feast in privacy in the upstairs dining room. His favorite table, now called The Kennedy Booth, has since been dedicated in his memory.”

Seafood Expo North America and Seafood Processing North America is North America’s largest seafood exposition. Thousands of buyers and suppliers from around the world attend the annual, three-day exposition to meet, network and do business.

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) is the lead agency for the convention and conference industry in the Commonwealth.  MCCA’s mission is to generate significant regional economic activity by attracting conventions, trade shows, and other events to its world-class facilities while maximizing the investment return for the residents and businesses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

MCCA owns and oversees the operations of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), The Lawn On D,  John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. and the Boston Common Garage.

Read about MCCA’s Seaport Ferry, an increasingly popular way for commuters, cruise ship passengers and local residents to get around downtown Boston quickly and efficiently, and its Lawn on D, a dynamic outdoor event space in the heart of the Seaport District.