Oysters Year-Round, Anyone?

While North Carolina oyster season historically runs from mid-October through April, oyster connoisseurs will be happy to know that although wild oyster season officially starts this week, farmed oysters are now available any time of year, thanks to the ever-growing oyster aquaculture (farming) industry. 

Although North Carolina has allowed individuals to commercially grow shellfish in public waters since 1858 (with a legal shellfish lease from the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries), cultivating oysters is becoming more popular than ever. 

Farmed oysters can be grown in a couple of ways.  One is to “plant” oyster shells that then rely on natural oyster larval settlement with oyster growth and survival on leased estuarine borroms.  However, many NC Oyster farmers are now growing their oysters by putting oyster “seeds” into floating cages, which generally yield single oysters that are more consistent in size with less grit.

The NC State Extension Office states that, “Cultivated Shellfish have many benefits for both the producer and the environment around them. Because shellfish are filter feeders, when they are cultivated in coastal waters, they receive their nutrients from the water flowing through the system and so require no additional food. Cultivated shellfish cannot be over harvested and relieve pressure on wild shellfish populations.” 

So, there are definitely benefits to farmed oysters.  But which do you think are the best, wild or farmed oysters?  Try them both and decide for yourself!