Oysters All Year Long

You don't have to stop enjoying those magnificent mollusks when the season changes

By Judy Royal

North Carolina's wild oyster season comes to an end in March, but the good news is you don't have to take a break from enjoying the briny bivalves when spring starts. Despite the commonly repeated rule that oysters should only be consumed during months that contain an “r,” farmed local oysters may be harvested, served, and eaten year-round.  And the reason for avoiding wild oysters during the warmer months is not what many believe.

“The refrigeration process allows us to eat oysters in summer months,” says Bonnie Mitchell, Coastal Education Coordinator for North Carolina Coastal Federation. “Many years ago when there was no refrigeration, it was dangerous to eat wild oysters in summer months. Now it's not about safety as much as it is a taste issue. It's about what we're used to, and wild oysters harvested in summer months are not going to look like our typical oyster. You could still eat those, but they are not the oysters that we know them to be. That's because local wild oysters reproduce when the water is warm, and during this spawning stage their meat quality and yield are poor, resulting in a liquidy, gooey, and not-so-firm texture,” Mitchell says.

However, farmed oysters are made to be non-reproductive, allowing enjoyment all year long, she adds.

“Farming oysters involves putting very tiny oysters into floating cages within estuaries where wild oysters occur and growing them,” Mitchell says. “In two to three years, they are ready to be harvested. There's not a huge difference in taste because farmed oysters are grown in the same place wild oysters are grown.”

In fact, some oyster enthusiasts will argue that farmed oysters have more texture because when the cages get shuffled around, this shapes the shells and the meat inside, creating a juicier, fatter yield, she says.

“In the wild, they grow to be tall and slender, sometimes lacking the robustness that farmed oysters have,” Mitchell adds.

In truth, most people's eyes – not their palates – will identify whether the oysters on their tables are wild or farmed, she says.

“If they are clumped together and long and narrow, like what you find at an oyster roast, typically those can be identified as wild,” Mitchell says. “If you're eating individual two-shelled oysters, then those are most likely farmed, although you can see individuals in the wild.”

While there are a lot of negatives associated with farm-raised fish, these concerns are not applicable to oyster farms, she explains.

“That's been one of the hardest things to overcome,” Mitchell says. “With farmed oysters here in North Carolina, it's the most regulated seafood industry that we have. The oyster farms are so regulated, so you can feel really good about the oysters you're eating. It's one of the most sustainable seafood industries that we have. It takes the demand off wild oysters and helps restore habitat while helping to clean the water. There's so much good that's happening with farmed oysters.”

Due to moratoriums that prevent oyster farms from operating in certain locations, many operations have popped up in our region over the past few years, especially in the Stump Sound area around Sneads Ferry and Topsail Island, and a few in Masonboro Sound., she says.

“In the past decade, what we've seen are a lot of commercial or recreational fishermen switching over to oyster farming because of issues within the farming community,” Mitchell says. “Becoming an oyster farmer is a more appealing way to be out on the water and make a living. I think we're definitely seeing more people turning to oyster farming, especially when they're already in that fishing industry.”

Whether farmed or wild, the NC Oyster Trail (www.ncoystertrail.org) is the best resource for finding ways to enjoy local oysters from the coast of our state, which is often referred to as “the Napa Valley of oysters,” she says. The North Carolina Coastal Federation and North Carolina Sea Grant, in partnership with the North Carolina Shellfish Growers Association, administer the NC Oyster Trail, which launched in 2020. Its mission is to provide experiences that help sustain and grow North Carolina oysters, resulting in economic, environmental, and social benefits to the state's seafood industry and coastal communities. The trail map includes events, seafood markets, and shellfish farm tours as well as restaurants that showcase the best of what our state's waters have to offer. 

Wilmington-area restaurants featured on the trail map include:

- Catch, 6623 Market St., Wilmington

- Flying Machine Oyster Bar, 530 Causeway Drive, Wrightsville Beach

- Rx Chicken & Oysters, 421 Castle St., Wilmington

- Seabird, 1 S. Front St., Wilmington

- Tidewater Oyster Bar, 8211 Market St., Wilmington

“The NC Oyster Trail offers a taste of the coast so you can try all different kinds of oysters,” Mitchell says. “See what you like and go from there. With oysters, there are always safety concerns, but because it's so regulated in North Carolina, you can feel better about the risks. If people want to enjoy oysters all year long, nothing needs to be stopping them.”