Skip to content

Southern Fried Science

Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS

Aquaculture in NC: Carolina Mariculture Co.

Posted on May 3, 2012May 3, 2012 By Bluegrass Blue Crab
Uncategorized

Jay onto his boat, photo by author

Though oyster mariculture isn’t new to places like the Chesapeake Bay, Jay Styron’s Carolina Mariculture Company, based in Cedar Island, NC, is a shining vision of the future in North Carolina. Much of the state’s efforts in aquaculture are directed at tilapia, catfish, and hybrid striped bass, which are grown in ponds on traditional farm land. These are often grown as a means of diversifying an existing farm economy. Mariculture, though, blends this type of aquaculture with commercial fishing to grow seafood in estuaries and inshore regions, creating a saltier crop. In many ways mariculture should be embraced by both farming and fishing communities but is often instead viewed as the strange uncle of the food production family. Enter pioneer Jay Styron, who grows oysters not only for food but also demonstration purposes – and he proudly creates delicious oysters.

When asked why he first stared down the mariculture path, Jay responded “I know I won’t work for the state forever”. That, plus family connections to both Carteret County fishing and the well-loved Cedar Island oysters, made mariculture a good option. Many hands helped getting the small farm up and running. Mentor Jim Swartzenberg from nearby Stump Sound and a team of graduate and undergraduates paid from a state fisheries resource grant were critical support in the early days. The first few years held experiments to find the best strain of oyster for the area and the best cage setup for holding the oysters in place in the water.

The Carolina Mariculture oysters are grown in floating cages, suspended on the water on rope lines. Oysters suspended in the water column don’t get covered in the mud familiar to harvesters of wild oysters and allow oysters to grow as singletons instead of attached to a reef. They emerge from their cages nearly perfectly round, clean oysters best for display on the halfshell. Plus, Jay uses triploid oysters that spend all their energy growing rather than reproducing, so they grow in 2 years rather than 3. But the farm was not only created to produce pretty oysters – it is intended to teach local fishers that there are options outside the wild catch to support them in the future.

Jay says he gets visitors, but none have taken up the challenge. Most say “if I were younger…” but there are other legitimate challenges that face startup mariculture operations no matter your age. First is the capital required to start a mariculture operation – and currently there aren’t too many grant or loan opportunities to help out here. In addition, mariculture hasn’t been able to piggyback on other efforts for synergistic development. A logical partner would be the state’s oyster restoration efforts, but the two groups rarely talk to one another. Finally, though mariculture is adaptable and scalable to growers’ desires, there is an economy of scale that helps big growers but may scare away beginners. The global market dictates prices that talk only to large growers, often in other countries. And particular to North Carolina, leased bottom is hard to come by.

So what does a mariculture operation look like from spawn to dinner plate? Jay buys babies 2-4mm across and places them in fine-mesh cages. They spend the next 2 years happily eating and growing with the occasional hitchhiker in the cages. Jay gets his spat, as the babies are called, from a farm in Virginia – noting that it would be wonderful if there were local sourcing options for this as there once was. Expect half of those spat to die on their way to adulthood from natural causes or the occasional cage floating free.  Adults only get harvested when someone orders them so they can be the freshest possible product. Then they’re bagged in groups of 100 in plastic mesh bags and delivered to the customer or retail store.

Carolina Mariculture doesn’t meet industry “farm” standards – it’s too small. If Jay increases his production 10-fold, he’ll get there. But he’ll also have to hire someone to help take care of them. It’s a conscious decision to stay small at this point, but demand far exceeds his supply. Is this a good way to make a living? Using his system, a farmer stands to make $70,000 an acre annually. Especially as the local food movement grows, Jay sees further market development for “the sea version of grapes” with “mariorre” instead of the winery’s terriore. Cedar Island oysters stand to be the Down East version of Champagne.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon

Related

Tags: aquaculture example mariculture new economy

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: #SciFund Returns – Muddy waters: coral health after storm events
Next Post: Recollections from a future ocean – a short story for eno magazine ❯

You may also like

Uncategorized
Giant whales and collapsing cod stocks: Thursday Afternoon Dredging, March 29th, 2018
March 29, 2018
Uncategorized
Aquaculture in NC: Designed Ecosystems
February 14, 2012
Uncategorized
Irma’s Caribbean devastation, aquaculture, and Okeanos education: Thursday Afternoon Dredging: September 7th, 2017
September 7, 2017
Uncategorized
Thursday Afternoon Dredging: March 9th, 2017
March 9, 2017

Recent Popular Posts

Donald Trump and Sharks: An Annotated TimelineDonald Trump and Sharks: An Annotated TimelineJune 27, 2024David Shiffman
Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryShark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryAugust 10, 2014Michelle Jewell
Tangier, an Island out of Time.Tangier, an Island out of Time.July 3, 2017Andrew Thaler
Deep-sea mining, marine protected areas, and the eternal struggle to open doors: This Week in Andrew (and Angelo) Doing PodcastsDeep-sea mining, marine protected areas, and the eternal struggle to open doors: This Week in Andrew (and Angelo) Doing PodcastsMay 7, 2025Andrew Thaler
Here's what I teach my students about finding jobs in marine biology and conservationHere's what I teach my students about finding jobs in marine biology and conservationApril 10, 2024David Shiffman
Sustainable Seafood, Endangered Species, and Jaws: Some upcoming talks and panelsSustainable Seafood, Endangered Species, and Jaws: Some upcoming talks and panelsMay 8, 2025David Shiffman
I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.June 21, 2021Andrew Thaler
Our favorite sea monsters – Ningen (#4)Our favorite sea monsters – Ningen (#4)September 7, 2010Andrew Thaler
My "Follow ocean science and conservation experts on Bluesky and Instagram" assignmentMy "Follow ocean science and conservation experts on Bluesky and Instagram" assignmentNovember 19, 2024David Shiffman
The story of the pride flag made from NASA imagery: Bluesky's most-liked imageThe story of the pride flag made from NASA imagery: Bluesky's most-liked imageSeptember 27, 2024David Shiffman
Subscribe to our RSS Feed for updates whenever new articles are published.

We recommend Feedly for RSS management. It's like Google Reader, except it still exists.

Southern Fried Science

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS


If you enjoy Southern Fried Science, consider contributing to our Patreon campaign.

Copyright © 2025 Southern Fried Science.

Theme: Oceanly Premium by ScriptsTown