Three island restaurants are among the many featured Oct. 10 through 16 for North Carolina Oyster Week.
Howard’s Pub, Flying Melon and Ocracoke Oyster Company are members of the North Carolina Oyster Trail. Ocracoke Mariculture, a family-owned oyster farm located in the Pamlico Sound off Ocracoke, while not a restaurant, is also part of the trail as it is one of the suppliers of oysters.
The week coincides with the wild-caught oyster season, said Jane Harrison, North Carolina Sea Grant’s coastal economist, in a press release.
North Carolina Oyster Week events will include cultivated and wild-caught oysters alike from new and returning participating organizations and businesses.
As a keystone species, oysters are crucial to North Carolina’s marine and coastal environments. They provide food and shelter for a variety of other animals, reduce shoreline erosion by buffering waves, filter water, and bolster a thriving shellfish industry.
In 2019, North Carolina’s shellfish industry provided over $27 million in economic impact and 532 jobs in the state, supporting the livelihoods of N.C. watermen and women and sustaining traditional working waterfront communities.
“Oysters benefit our state in myriad ways,” Harrison said. “North Carolina Oyster Week events will highlight the ecology, culture, economy, and history related to this vital resource.”
North Carolina Sea Grant, the North Carolina Coastal Federation, and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources are organizing the NC Oyster Week festivities in partnership with the NC Oyster Trail.
Events are listed on the websites of the NC Oyster Trail and NCDNCR.
For more information on North Carolina Oyster Week 2022 and the NC Oyster Trail visit https://ncoystertrail.org/nc-oyster-week/ and read the current issue of North Carolina Sea Grant’s Coastwatch magazine highlighting oyster-related stories from around the state.
Sure wish I could be there for this oyster fest!!
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