{"id":12516,"date":"2020-05-27T15:00:27","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T19:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=12516"},"modified":"2020-05-27T15:00:27","modified_gmt":"2020-05-27T19:00:27","slug":"nc-oyster-trail-accepting-applications-for-membership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/nc-oyster-trail-accepting-applications-for-membership\/","title":{"rendered":"NC Oyster Trail Accepting Applications for Membership"},"content":{"rendered":"

Above: Carla Barbieri of Cary, North Carolina, observes oysters in production on a shellfish farm tour in early March. Photo by Jane Harrison<\/em><\/p>\n

Contact:<\/strong>
\nJane Harrison, North Carolina Sea Grant, jane_harrison@ncsu.edu<\/a><\/em>
\nErin Fleckenstein, North Carolina Coastal Federation, erinf@nccoast.or<\/a>g<\/em><\/p>\n

This news release was updated on June 22, 2020 with information about charter membership.<\/em><\/p>\n

The North Carolina Oyster Trail is accepting membership applications on its new website, NCOysterTrail.org<\/a>. The website provides details on how to apply<\/a>, and also features an interactive map that will display member sites after they join.<\/p>\n

\u201cShellfish growers are excited about the opportunity to tell their story,\u201d says North Carolina Sea Grant coastal economist Jane Harrison, who leads development of the trail. \u201cPeople want to know where their seafood comes from. The trail makes these connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NC Oyster Trail offers unique tourism experiences centered on the state\u2019s tasty oysters. It features shellfish farm tours, seafood markets and restaurants, and education and arts organizations, in addition to oyster-focused festivals and events.<\/p>\n

For example, Seavisions Charters<\/a> provides educational tours of Sandbar Oyster Company<\/a> in Beaufort. Captain Monty Poling of Seavisions is a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed master captain who takes visitors out on the Newport River to see how oysters are grown. His tour groups often run into David \u201c<\/span>Clammerhead\u201d Cessna<\/a>, co-owner of Sandbar Oyster Company, who is always game to share his innovative techniques for growing shellfish.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honored and proud that Seavisions Charters is the first business to sign up for the trail. This is a model for other states to look toward,\u201d says Poling, who goes by\u00a0Captain Monty.<\/p>\n

\"Jane
Jane Harrison of North Carolina Sea Grant inspects a local N.C. oyster. Photo by Whitney Knollenberg\/NC State University<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Opening of trail sites and trail events are subject to state and local government rules on business activity in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs travel restrictions ease, folks still may be staying closer to home,\u201d Harrison says. \u201cYou can get the taste of the ocean wherever you are by asking for N.C. oysters at your local seafood market. Some seafood retailers and oyster growers even deliver to your door.\u201d<\/p>\n

The NC Oyster Trail is administered by North Carolina Sea Grant and the North Carolina Coastal Federation<\/a> in partnership with the North Carolina Shellfish Growers Association<\/a>. The hope is that the trail will benefit shellfish growers and coast lovers in general, says Erin Fleckenstein, North Carolina Coastal Federation coastal scientist and manager of their northeast regional office in Wanchese.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see this trail as raising awareness of the burgeoning shellfish aquaculture industry and highlighting the importance of clean water to grow and support this industry. North Carolina has some of the most pristine waters in the country that grow a wide variety of oysters,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Once it\u2019s safe to do so, as part of the trail experience, visitors will be able to tour the Coastal Federation\u2019s office, where they can learn about shellfish ecology and the importance of oysters to the local environment, as well as tour a demonstration oyster lease on site. Contacting the office to confirm that it is open and welcoming visitors is advised.<\/p>\n

Oysters benefit the marine and coastal environment by providing the \u201cthree Fs\u201d:<\/p>\n