We want to help visitors and tourists understand the role the oyster plays in our environment and our culture. \u2014Jane Harrison<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The trail was created by N.C. Sea Grant, an organization based at NC State that conducts research and outreach to benefit coastal communities, in cooperation with the N.C. Coastal Federation and N.C. Shellfish Growers Association. The trail is open-ended; visitors can consult an interactive map and choose to tour one of 16 shellfish farms, view oyster-focused museum exhibits at one of four educational sites, or choose from among 17 restaurants and six markets from the Outer Banks to the Triangle where they can taste North Carolina oysters. Launched in May 2020, the trail aims to boost interest in oysters and educate the public on an organism that benefits the state\u2019s waterways and economy but is threatened by overharvest, storms and habitat loss. Jane Harrison, a coastal economics specialist with N.C. Sea Grant who helped develop the trail, says it covers \u201call of the pieces of the oyster puzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe want to help visitors and tourists understand the role the oyster plays in our environment and our culture,\u201d says Harrison, a faculty member in NC State\u2019s colleges of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Life Sciences. Faculty from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management provided research and support to the trail, helping to build a tourism industry centered on shellfish. As more travelers center trips around food, organizers say, mariculture tourism could provide a new revenue stream for oyster growers and an overall boost to coastal economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A favored food dating back to Native Americans, the state\u2019s oysters were shipped nationwide starting in the late 1800s, leading to overharvesting that continued through much of the 20th century. Recent efforts by researchers, nonprofit organizations and seafood growers seek to protect and expand oyster habitats, which provide shelter to fish and improve water quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While oysters were traditionally dredged from natural beds, they are increasingly grown in cages that float on the surface and can be harvested after 10 to 18 months, compared to an average age of three years for wild oysters. In 2019, the state harvest totaled more than 800,000 pounds and was valued at $4.9 million, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. That year, farmed oysters outstripped wild harvests for the first time, Harrison and other researchers found, contributing about $14 million to the state\u2019s gross domestic product, more than half of the $27 million shellfish industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emerson is one of many farmers that recently joined the ranks of the state\u2019s oyster growers. He left his job in the pharmaceutical industry for an early retirement, and now spends several days a week out on his boat, working a nearly 2-acre lease in the North River. He starts with \u201cseed\u201d oysters the size of a pinky nail and tends to them as they grow in floating mesh bags\u2009\u2014\u2009making sure they have ample water flow, moving them to larger bags, and washing off algae. When they’re about three inches long, he sends his Beaufort Briny oysters to markets and restaurants. He says he loves being his own boss and spending time on the water, often with help from his adult children. But it\u2019s physical work, and risky: heavy rains or a drop in water quality can affect his harvest, bringing huge losses. \u201cNow my biggest problem is dealing with Mother Nature,\u201d he says. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s beautiful, and sometimes it\u2019s not so pretty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emerson joined the trail and started offering his first hour-long boat tours this summer, which feature several farms as well as wild oyster reefs if the tides allow. He teaches visitors about the farming process and lets them sample his oysters, which he calls \u201cflavor bombs\u201d that are salty, then buttery, with a sweet finish. The fees paid for tours are a source of extra income, but he says he started doing them mainly to showcase oyster farming as a sustainable business model. \u201cOysters are out here improving the environment,\u201d he says, \u201cproviding food, filtering the water. We are contributing more than we are taking away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/magazine.alumni.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Roy_wOyster_rgb-768x1024.jpg\")
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\n\n\n\nOyster Mythbusting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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