News

By Sallie Bowman | Reprinted from North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island

Public Invited to Enjoy Special Activities to Learn About the Importance of Oysters and Preview the Aquarium’s Newest Exhibit, “Fish, Filter, Food: The Human-Oyster Connection”

Caption: “Fish, Filter, Food: The Human-Oyster Connection” is the newest exhibit under construction at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island
Click here to download a high-resolution version of this image.
Photo Courtesy of the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

MANTEO, N.C. – On Tuesday, Aug. 5, the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island is celebrating National Oyster Day and the “Human-Oyster Connection.” Oysters are important animals that are connected to humans in surprising ways and have been a part of our shared culture for thousands of years. Visitors are invited to the Aquarium Aug. 5 to learn about oysters, the significance of oysters in American culture, and the positive impact oysters have on the health of coastal habitats and communities. The Aquarium is part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

From 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Aug. 5 the Aquarium will host special activities that highlight the importance of oysters in culture, cuisine, and ecosystems throughout history. Discover these fascinating connections with the Aquarium with oyster-themed activities, games, crafts, and information sessions with Aquarium partners, N.C. Coastal Federation and N.C. Sea Grant. Visitors can journey through oyster history and complete an “Oysters Through the Ages” Scavenger Hunt. Special activities for National Oyster Day are included with regular Aquarium admission.

In discussing the importance of oysters, Larry Warner, director of the Aquarium, said, “Oysters, through their unique filtration abilities, are essential to the health of our coastal ecosystems. But equally, they are an important economic driver for our state as a food source. The Aquarium is committed to telling all sides of the story around these amazing creatures.”

The Aquarium is entering the final construction stages of its newest exhibit, “Fish, Filter, Food: The Human-Oyster Connection,” scheduled to be complete in September. More than six years in the making, this exhibit has been made possible through generous support and funding from the N.C. Aquarium Society, the N.C. Coastal Federation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau. When complete, the exhibit will showcase all aspects of oysters, including the life cycle of oysters, oyster reef construction, mariculture, and coastal oyster farmers who provide oysters for the restaurant industry.

Caption: Images from the Aquarium’s exhibit, “Fish, Filter, Food: The Human-Oyster Connection” highlight the role of oysters in the ecosystem and the history of a shared culture.

Click here and here to download high-resolution versions of these images.
Photos Courtesy of the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island

In addition to oyster-themed activities on Aug. 5, the Aquarium will be offering regularly scheduled programming, including behind-the-scenes experiences, outdoor programs, and Shipwreck Stories at the Aquarium’s 285,000-gallon shark habitat. A daily calendar of events is available on the Aquarium website. Founded in 1976, the Aquarium is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026.

National Oyster Day
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island

About the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island
Located on the Outer Banks in Manteo, N.C., the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island is part of N.C. Aquariums, which includes four attractions along North Carolina’s coast and is a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The 63,000 square-foot facility on 16 acres overlooks the Croatan Sound and houses over 2,200 animals. Over 319,000 guests visit the Aquarium each year to see the 285,000-gallon “Graveyard of the Atlantic” shark and ocean habitat, visit the Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation (S.T.A.R.) Center, and learn why North Carolina’s waterways are so special. As an educational attraction, the mission of N.C. Aquariums is to inspire appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments. The Aquarium is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information, visit www.ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island.

About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) manages, promotes, and enhances the things that people love about North Carolina – its diverse arts and culture, rich history, and spectacular natural areas. Through its programs, the department enhances education, stimulates economic development, improves public health, expands accessibility, and strengthens community resiliency.

The department manages over 100 locations across the state, including 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, five science museums, four aquariums, 35 state parks, four recreation areas, dozens of state trails and natural areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, the American Indian Heritage Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Office of State Archaeology, the Highway Historical Markers program, the N.C. Land and Water Fund, and the Natural Heritage Program. For more information, please visit www.dncr.nc.gov.

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North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island
374 Airport Rd., Manteo, NC 27954

www.ncaquariums.com/roanoke-island

Doctoral student Nick Funnell’s fieldwork focuses on shellfish important to the state’s economy and ecology.

By Brennan Doherty | Reprinted from UNC Chapel Hill

Doctoral student Nick Funnell (right) hand-excavates oysters in the Newport River for processing back in the lab. (Submitted photo)

As an undergraduate student at Bowdoin College, Nick Funnell took an oceanography course and visited the coast of Maine to investigate why many clams died at a farm.

“We didn’t have an immense toolbox,” he said, “but we were really interested in trying to help those people.”

This sort of “applied ecology,” using theoretical concepts to solve existing issues, excites Funnell and led him to UNC-Chapel Hill as a doctoral student in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ environment, ecology and energy program. This time, he’s studying a different shellfish, oysters, along the North Carolina coast.

As one of The Graduate School’s Royster Fellows, an honor for which he’s received funding and travel opportunities, he has a bigger toolbox for his research. Funnell has been to 25 oyster farms — from Wilmington, through Morehead City and up to Buxton on the Outer Banks. He worked with harvesters to study the health of oyster environments.

“Oysters are a food source for people and provide valuable ecosystem services,” said Funnell, who will earn his doctorate in May. “They’re cleaning the water and they’re providing habitat. They’re just a very important species — ecologically, culturally and economically.”

The oyster industry provided nearly $15 million to the North Carolina economy in 2022 and is vital to the shellfish sector, which has grown considerably this century.

That’s one reason Funnell’s research is important.

The economic benefits from oysters could take a hit because of increasingly polluted waters, which shrinks the number of locations oystering can occur in North Carolina.

“There are lines along each estuary and water body where harvest is not allowed past a certain point because they’re too polluted,” Funnell explained, “and those lines are not moving higher up.”

But Funnell’s research is well-timed. The United Nations declared 2021-30 the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. It’s an emphasis that extends to North Carolinians on the state’s coast who base their livelihoods on aquaculture. Funnell said the oyster growers he’s met through his research are vested in sustainability.

“Having any amount of oysters out there is going to be a net environmental positive because they’re filtering the water and making it cleaner and providing habitat,” Funnell said. “Rarely are oyster farming and restoration at odds.”

He’s centered these oyster farmers in his work. Several of Funnell’s research topics came from “having them tell me about what’s going on” and asking what he can help with.

“If it’s impactful in North Carolina, it ought to involve North Carolinians at every step,” he said.

At Carolina, Funnell worked closely with Joel Fodrie, director of the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences. This adviser-advisee relationship thrived because Fodrie is into “mud and buckets science,” according to Funnell, a self-described “fieldwork-motivated person.”

Funnell spent his second and third years in the program in Morehead City at the IMS, and he’s since made regular trips back and forth between Chapel Hill and the coast.

Funnell crossed paths with Perry Bayer (left) and Christian Bayer (right), of My Lord Honey Seafood, seen here relaying oysters in Wards Creek near Beaufort. (Photo by Nick Funnell)

Funnell has also embraced the chance to educate, serving as a teaching assistant in three courses, including aiding students in their independent studies at the IMS. He comes from a family of teachers and can see himself becoming a professor one day.

“The beauty of an ecology degree is you can do academia, you can do nonprofit, and you can do local, state and federal government,” Funnell said.

What’s next? Funnell is looking for work that will allow him to get outdoors, research and mentor new scientists.

It’s a job-search wish list that mirrors his experiences as a Tar Heel.

Global Warming and NC’s Most Important Shellfish

by Allison Aplin on March 31, 2025 | Reprinted from Coastwatch

Rising seas and warming temperatures pose challenges for a critical, eco-friendly industry.

North Carolina is home to the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica), which can vary in size, shape, and taste depending on water quality and location.  As the “Napa Valley of Oysters,” North Carolina’s pristine environment supports a variety of oyster “merroirs,” or flavors.

Oyster habitats range from deep water reefs in the sounds to shallow areas adjacent to salt marsh grasses. Although North Carolina’s wild oyster populations have declined to approximately 15-20% of historic harvest levels, various initiatives, including oyster farming and sanctuary systems, aim to restore wild populations.

Oyster reefs also provide habitat for a wide range of species, including fish, barnacles, crabs, anemones, and shrimp, improving biodiversity in estuarine habitats. This habitat additionally offers protection for many juvenile species, which in turn leads to increased dockside commercial seafood sales. Dockside sales and other retailers contribute $80.3 million to North Carolina’s $300 million annual wild-caught commercial fishing industry.

While Eastern oysters face many challenges due to our changing climate, they provide numerous eco-friendly benefits for coastal communities. For example, they filter algae from surrounding water, effectively removing impurities and improving water quality. Under certain conditions, in fact, a single oyster can filter 50 gallons of water per day. During this process, oysters also transfer nutrients from the top of the estuarine habitat to the bottom, creating an important link in the food chain.

Credit: VisitNC

Oyster reefs also help protect shorelines by acting as natural breakwaters that absorb wave energy and dissipate its power. “Living shorelines” — which incorporate native plants, oysters, and rocks instead of concrete seawalls — have become an increasingly popular tool to prevent erosion and damage from storm surges.

Although there are often consumer concerns about farm-raised food, oysters are unique in that they do not require any feed, while providing nutrients that include protein, calcium, iron, and zinc. As climate change continues to impact food supply and as demand for food increases, relatively low-maintenance protein sources like oysters will become increasingly important.

Delayed Harvests, Storm Damage, and Disease

Climate change has caused global shifts in many facets of the environment, including increases in sea temperatures, sea level, and storm intensity. Over the last three decades, sea surface temperatures consistently have reached record highs since reliable data collection began in 1880.

Over the last two decades, relative to coastal North Carolina’s sinking land, the Atlantic rose roughly 4.5 inches at Duck, 6 inches at Beaufort, and 8 inches at Wilmington. Droughts, flooding, and severe hurricanes have ravaged the coastlines of the United States. Warmer sea surface temperatures intensify tropical storm wind speeds, resulting in greater damage upon landfall.

Credit: Baxter Miller

Estuaries — where fresh rivers meet the salty ocean — are particularly vulnerable to climate change due to shifts in water level and temperatures in both upland and coastal areas. North Carolina has 2.2 million acres of estuarine environment along its coastline, and approximately 90% of North Carolina’s commercially significant species live in estuaries at some point in their life cycle, including oysters.

Rising ocean temperatures also adversely affect the physiology of Eastern oysters, leading to reduced rates of growth and reproduction. On the other hand, cooler waters provide more nutrients for oysters to filter feed, as well as higher oxygen levels, both of which support growth.

Oysters also rely on environmental cues from cooler waters, and particular salinity ranges, to initiate their reproductive cycle. Consequently, warming temperatures can result in delayed harvest seasons due to growth later in the season.

Warming ocean temperatures also contribute to intensified storms. Since 1980, there have been over 120 confirmed extreme weather events in North Carolina, including 54 severe storms and 31 tropical cyclones, each resulting in losses of over $1 billion to the state.

Credit: NOAA

Direct impacts from storms include property damage, flooding, water contamination, and destruction of oysters or oyster gear, as well as extreme changes in salinity. Even years of increased rainfall can impact oyster farming, as the change in salinity from fresh waters can affect oyster survival, particularly in early life.

Hurricane Florence alone caused an estimated $10 million in damages to North Carolina’s shellfish aquaculture industry in 2018. Such storms also harm tourism and reduce public interest in traveling to the North Carolina coast, which indirectly affects oyster farming and other aquaculture businesses.

Oyster aquaculture is also facing significant challenges due to mass mortality events. The causes remain unclear, but warming temperatures facilitate the rapid growth and spread of bacteria and viruses. Additionally, environmental factors such as salinity, water quality and runoff — issues that storms and storm surge exacerbate — can further compromise oyster health.

Regardless of the specific causes, these mortality events have had devastating effects on oyster farmers in North Carolina. For example, in May 2022, several mortality incidents occurred along the North Carolina coastline, spanning 115 miles, with Stump Sound particularly hard-hit, resulting in oyster losses up to 90%.

Credit: Baxter Miller

NC State University’s Tal Ben-Horin is spearheading a new Sea Grant-funded study of mass mortality events, accounting for a wide range of factors in order to determine how growers can lessen or eliminate these events.

Supporting a Species and an Industry

Supporting oysters in North Carolina benefits coastal ecosystems and communities:

• Follow the North Carolina Oyster Trail to discover oyster farmers, restaurants, seafood markets, and educational experiences that promote and celebrate local oysters.
• Consider adopting an oyster through the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which also collaborates with The Nature Conservancy and the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) to build oyster sanctuaries.
• Recycle oyster shells or encourage local oyster-selling businesses to do so, because recycled shells are vital for creating new oyster habitats.

Allison Aplin is a masters candidate in environmental management in coastal and marine systems at the Duke Nicholas School of the Environment. She also serves as an outreach intern for North Carolina Sea Grant. 

lead photo: Daniel Pullen.

Lovers of bivalves, rejoice! The NC Oyster Trail is packed with aquatic farms and restaurants where you can eat your fill throughout the year.

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by Jason Frye on December 17, 2024 | Reprinted from Visit NC

Ghost Fleet Oyster Company

Take a deep dive into marine farming, even if you only wade in as far as your knees or stay dry on the boat. Learn how water salinity and temperature affect oyster production before learning the finest preparation techniques.

Tour

More than a dozen North Carolina oyster farms let you in on their secrets to mariculture (marine farming). Learn what conditions create the tastiest oyster, then shuck and sample a few while you’re on the water. Ghost Fleet Oyster Company offers tours of their floating farms in Sneads Ferry and Hampstead, filling you in on all things oyster: life cycle, the importance of shell recycling and more. Farther down the coast, Epic Excursions provides three-hour tours of Middle Sound Mariculture farm near Wilmington, where the water is perfectly salty for raising a delicious oyster. Their tours include a boat ride to a barrier island for oyster snacking with wine pairings. Best of all, farmed oysters are safe to eat year-round.

Tour with Ghost Fleet Oyster Company

Taste

When you tour an oyster farm, you’ll sample as many as you can shuck. For shuck-free savoring, make your way to a restaurant or seasonal event that puts these mollusks on the pedestal they deserve. Jackson’s Last Saturday Oyster Roast takes place in January, when guests can dine on platters heaped high with roasted oysters. Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill in Southport serves oysters on the half-shell, steamed and fried. (Pro tip: Enjoy your feast at a table with a sunset view.) Ocracoke Oyster Company serves select oysters from a trio of farms on the Outer Banks; enjoy yours on the half-shell with a zippy side of wasabi and ginger, doused in spicy mustard vinegar sauce or prepared Rockefeller-style.

Learn More

Oysters are more than tasty treats – they’re essential to the coastal ecosystem. At the North Carolina Estuarium in Washington and Hatteras Island Ocean Center on the Outer Banks, exhibits spotlight the role oysters play in the environment and the conditions that help oysters, clams, crabs and other sea creatures thrive.

North Carolina Estuarium

Wade into The Official 2025 North Carolina Travel Guide for more coastal foodie adventures.