"Racks fare better in storms than 

 chubs," he says. "A whole set of chubs 

 flipped over during Hurricane Fran, but the 

 racks have withstood the ravages of the past 

 four hurricanes." 



Both methods of growing oysters lead 

 to a "fuller and cleaner oyster and more 

 money," says Swartzenberg. "That is not to 

 say you don't get a clean oyster from the 

 bottom. But for cultured oysters, you get a 

 better price." 



Although cultured oysters bring a 

 higher price, he says it is more labor 

 intensive than growing oysters on the 

 bottom. "When you have oysters on the 

 bottom, you don't have to move them 

 during a storm. The bottom line though is 

 that the cultured oysters are more of a sure 

 thing. The bottom oysters are more apt to 

 die from disease." 



Mark and Penny Hooper of Hooper 

 Family Seafood in Smyrna receive 20 

 percent of their income from mariculture. 



They have experimented with the 

 cage-and-rack and chub methods to grow 

 oysters. In recent years, they have received 

 Fishery Resource Grants to test the methods. 



"I have found that the method doesn't 

 matter," says Mark Hooper. "The seed 

 determines how successful the oyster crop is. 

 We get our seed from hatcheries — brood 

 stock. Some perform better than others." 



Hooper has a lofty goal: producing the 

 perfect oyster. "I would like to produce a 

 single oyster of similar size. It needs to be 

 rounded and deep. If I was able to produce 

 a nicer oyster, I could sell it to upscale 

 restaurants in the Triangle." 



Leslie Lee of Sloop Point Seafood on 

 Topsail Sound is testing new ways to seed 

 oysters. He spats the oysters from seeds in 

 bags or shelves. Then he lays them on top 

 of a screen on a muddy bottom. 



"We are just getting into it," says Lee. 

 "They are looking great, but I have only 

 been doing it for a year." 



Oyster Research 

 Under Way 



While aquaculture techniques are being 

 used on oysters, research is under way in 

 North Carolina to test methods to enhance 



management of native 

 oysters and the 

 aquaculture potential 

 of non-native oysters. 



Charles Peterson 

 of the University of 

 North Carolina at 

 Chapel Hill's Institute 

 of Marine Sciences is 

 studying the structure 

 and hydrology of 

 oyster reefs — critical 

 areas for oyster 

 production. For 

 example, by manipu- 

 lating the profile of 

 oyster reefs, water or 

 current flow may be 

 sped up, possibly 

 helping these filter 

 feeders grow faster 

 and avoid disease. 



"We are looking 

 at how oyster gear and 

 dredging has damaged 

 oyster reefs," says 

 Peterson, a North 

 Carolina Sea Grant 

 researcher. "We have 

 looked at alternative 

 techniques for 

 harvesting oysters and 

 addressed oyster 



growth and mortality. We have found that 

 oyster growth and survival improved by 

 installing larger reefs than traditionally 

 have been constructed by the Division of 

 Marine Fisheries." 



Recently, Peterson received a 

 $200,000 grant from the state to test the 

 aquaculture performance of non-native 

 oysters in North Carolina waters. At least 

 two of the species are naturally resistant to 

 Dermo and other diseases that plague the 

 state's native oyster. 



Research on oyster disease also has 

 gained momentum in recent years. At 

 Rutgers University in New Jersey, oyster 

 breeding programs have resulted in stocks 

 resistant to both Dermo and MSX. These 

 stocks have been evaluated in growth and 

 survival trials in the Delaware and 

 Chesapeake bays, but none of the stock has 



Oysters are roasted on a gas grill at the Mill Creek Festival. 



been tested in North Carolina waters. 



"This area is pretty much wide open 

 to research," says Ami E. Wilbur, assistant 

 professor of biology at the University of 

 North Carolina at Wilmington. "North 

 Carolina needs to generate its own disease- 

 resistant stocks to combat its particular 

 problems with the health of local oyster 

 populations." 



Wilbur sees great potential in the state 

 for more research on selectively bred 

 oysters for consumption and restoration. 



"North Carolina has the waterways 

 to support a lot of oyster culture, and 

 considerable interest in restoring previ- 

 ously productive areas," says Wilbur. 'It 

 is exciting to be a new professor in the 

 state because there is a lot of opportunity 

 to get involved in a variety of different 

 projects." □ 



COASTWATCH 11 



