Shellfish Expo links growers, buyers

MOREHEAD CITY - As guests of the 2009 Shellfish Expo tasted entrees and appetizers featuring oysters and clams, Jay Styron of Carolina Mariculture Company was pleased to see the empty plates.

Half of the oysters served up at the event came from his oyster farm in Cedar Island, a part-time venture he started two and a half years ago.

"We wanted to start small, see how it goes and build the business slow," said Styron, whose serves full-time as director of marine operations at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

The native of eastern Carteret County travels between his home in Wilmington and Cedar Island to keep watch over the 300,000 oysters he has growing in Core Sound.

With a dramatic decline in North Carolina's wild oyster stock over the past 100 years, Styron sees farm-raised oysters as a quality, consistent product for the state's oyster lovers.

And unlike the wild oysters, which can only be harvested during a specified season and according to size limits, his are available anytime and at any size.

"The farm market gives you a consistent product throughout the year," Styron said.

And they are a North Carolina product rather than imported, Styron added, noting that 75 percent of the oysters sold in North Carolina actually come from other states.

With the help of the Shellfish Expo, Styron and other shellfish growers let guests taste the results of their work.

"It's a way to showcase our product to restaurants and show there is local product to be had and a consistent, quality product," Styron said.

The Shellfish Expo is a collaboration of the North Carolina Shellfish Growers Association, North Carolina Sea Grant, Carteret Community College, Progress Energy Carolinas, the N.C. Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Consumer Services, North Carolina Farm Bureau, and the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.

The event was held Monday at the Carteret Community College Culinary Technology Program building.

Among the invited guests were restaurant owners, chefs and seafood dealers.

"The idea is to link the growers with the buyers," said Jim Swartzenberg, president of the N.C. Shellfish Growers Association.

Dennis Bell, owner of William's Fine Casual Fine Dining restaurant in Morehead City, attended to find out more about farm-raised shellfish.

"I came here tonight specifically to get some sources and taste the samples," Bell said.

Bell said there are a number of factors that impact the wild stock and its availability, and as a restaurant owner he said there may be a time when he needs to turn to a farm-raised product.

"There's a finite amount (of wild shellfish) out there," he said.

Staff writer Jannette Pippin can be reached at jpippin@freedomenc.com or 910-382-2557.