{"id":21866,"date":"2016-04-29T15:28:36","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T19:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/?p=7231"},"modified":"2024-05-21T15:54:14","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T19:54:14","slug":"aquaculture-science-working-for-the-economy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/aquaculture-science-working-for-the-economy\/","title":{"rendered":"Aquaculture: Science Working for the Economy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted April 29, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n

Just in time for <\/em>#FlashbackFriday, we had a request for an update on Carolina Mariculture<\/a>, which was featured in a story<\/a> by Pam Smith that ran in <\/em>Coastwatch magazine\u2019s Holiday 2012 issue. So, here\u2019s the updated excerpt that highlights how research partnerships continue to boost North Carolina\u2019s oyster industry.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Jay
Jay Styron of Carolina Mariculture Co. also leads the N.C. Shellfish Growers Association. Photo by DEH Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jay Styron has an audacious mission: To provide high-quality half-shell oysters to the world.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a pretty bold notion for someone who raises oysters in a mere 500 cages floating in estuarine waters off Cedar Island in Carteret County. \u201cI like to think big,\u201d he tells you with a sly grin.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be too quick to call him a dreamer. There are those who would call him a visionary \u2014 one who sees the role marine and freshwater aquaculture collectively must play to provide healthy and sustainable seafood for a global market.<\/p>\n

Today, over half of the seafood consumed around the world is produced by aquaculture, a statistic cited often by Styron and Chuck Weirich, North Carolina Sea Grant marine aquaculture specialist.<\/p>\n

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also notes that over 90 percent of all seafood is imported in the United States. Currently, domestic aquaculture supplies only about 5 percent of the seafood Americans consume, and the remaining 5 percent is wild caught.<\/p>\n

\"styron-oysters-4_web\"
Earlier Sea Grant-funded studies identified strains of oysters native to distinct N.C. waters. Photo by Jay Styron<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In North Carolina, aquaculture accounts for only a small fraction of the annual total agriculture industry revenue, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, or NCDA&CS.<\/p>\n

Still, the potential for North Carolina\u2019s aquaculture is strong because current and prospective producers don\u2019t have to go it alone. In fact, anyone looking for a working definition of science and technology transfer need look no further than the state\u2019s aquaculture industry and its network of partnerships.<\/p>\n

The 1989 N.C. Aquaculture Development Act<\/a> provides a framework for partnerships that connect growers with university researchers, field faculty, and N.C. Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant specialists, as well as experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and NCDA&CS.<\/p>\n

Styron, who leads the N.C. Shellfish Growers Association<\/a>, knows firsthand how research partnerships help fine-tune the efficiency of growing oysters for the half-shell trade. His business, Carolina Mariculture Co., occupies two acres of a family-held, 10-acre traditional oyster-bottom lease.<\/p>\n

It is one of several commercial demonstration sites within a project<\/a> led by Weirich and funded through the NOAA Extension and Technology Transfer Program. Other partners include researchers from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Carteret Community College in Morehead City.<\/p>\n

The team is comparing growth of oysters native to distinct N.C. waters. Ami Wilbur, director of the UNCW Shellfish Research Hatchery<\/a>, had identified the strains in an earlier Sea Grant-funded collaborative study.<\/p>\n

\"styron-oyster-harvest\"
By rotating the planting of his spat, Styron\u2019s harvest yields oysters year-round. Photo by Pam Smith<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the current project, the participants also are comparing four types of off-bottom gear used to grow half-shell oysters. In addition, they are evaluating the culture of sunray venus clams at the sites as a potential means to diversify the industry.<\/p>\n

Through an earlier collaborative study, Styron learned to stagger the planting of his hatchery-raised spat. That has enabled him to manage each class closely from start to harvest, every 14 to 16 months. \u201cRotating our crop means our oysters are available nearly all year round, not just in months with an R,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

Each harvest yields about 30,000 individual oysters \u2014 delicacies that have earned national attention and year-round demand.<\/p>\n

Styron and his wife, Jennifer Dorton, have been featured on A Chef\u2019s Life<\/em>. In an episode<\/a> of the award-winning PBS show, they described their operations, and showed off oyster-opening techniques, to celebrity chef Vivian Howard. Her Kinston restaurants \u2014 The Chef and the Farmer, as well as The Boiler Room \u2014 are among those eager to serve Carolina Mariculture oysters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We revisit Carolina Mariculture, which was featured in a story by Pam Smith that ran in Coastwatch magazine\u2019s Holiday 2012 issue. This updated excerpt highlights how research partnerships continue to boost North Carolina\u2019s oyster industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[761],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-21866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-currents"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"yoast_head":"\nAquaculture: Science Working for the Economy - Coastwatch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/aquaculture-science-working-for-the-economy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aquaculture: Science Working for the Economy - Coastwatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We revisit Carolina Mariculture, which was featured in a story by Pam Smith that ran in Coastwatch magazine\u2019s Holiday 2012 issue. 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