Episode 19: Exploring the North Carolina Oyster Trail with Bill Husted

Exploring the North Carolina Oyster Trail with Bill Husted: Promoting Aquaculture and Future of Oyster Tourism

In this episode of OYSTER-ology, we wander down the North Carolina Oyster Trial with Bill Husted, a key member of the North Carolina Oyster Trail Executive Committee, and learn about the trail's origin, development, and purpose. Bill spent his professional career in the information technology industry, starting in software development before transitioning to the business side. Now retired, he’s a volunteer with the Oyster Trail where he helps lead the recruitment and spread the word of what it’s all about. The trail is designed to help travelers seeking oysters to connect with oyster-related businesses including farms, restaurants, tour outfits and others within North Carolina. It’s a win/win for both sides and enhances the overall sustainability of the entire oyster industry throughout the state. In our conversation Bill discusses his personal involvement, the structure of the trail, and the broader goals of promoting the North Carolina oyster industry through tourism. Our conversation also highlights the growth in public interest and the efforts to maintain a sustainable oyster industry while fostering community engagement. It’s all part of a bigger effort in North Carolina to build and implement a collaborative plan, called the Oyster Blueprint. But from a public perspective, much of the power of this plan begins with the Oyster Trail, and its design is intended to promote excellent oysters to hungry eaters. 

00:00 Introduction to Oysterology

00:28 Discovering the North Carolina Oyster Trail

01:01 Formation and Purpose of the Oyster Trail

02:30 Personal Journey into the Oyster Industry

03:02 Hands-On Experience with Oysters

04:17 Structure and Membership of the Oyster Trail

06:27 Navigating the Oyster Trail

08:28 Outreach and Events

11:17 Challenges and Regulations in Oyster Farming

18:39 Future Plans and Expansion

21:48 Conclusion and Personal Reflections

Links:

North Carolina Oyster Trail website: (https://ncoystertrail.org/)

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Transcript

[00:00:00]

Bill Husted: That's what we're trying to do is, is kind of map the people that are interested in oysters at any level, if they want to learn about them or if they want to go have some, and take them home and fix them and eat them. Or if they want to go and sit down in a restaurant and enjoy some oyster dishes, we try to help them find out where they can do that. 

Kevin: Welcome to , a podcast about the wide world of oysters, aquaculture, and everything from spat to shuck. I'm your host and the Foodwalker, Kevin Cox. Everyone listening to this podcast knows that food tourism is a. Popular reason for many people to venture off to new places these days, or at least to include it in every trip they take. It makes travel and life in general more interesting for those of us who live to eat rather than eat to live to more and more eaters. This means getting off the beaten restaurant path and going local and low to the ground. And few things are more low to [00:01:00] the ground than fresh oysters, right, where they're grown shucked and served up by hand.

So it's no wonder that more and more oyster areas are developing guides for shellfish, slurper to find places to taste tour, and even shuck oysters themselves. In this episode of oyster allergy, we wander down the North Carolina Oyster Trail with. Bill Husted. The trail is designed to help travelers seeking oysters to connect with oyster related businesses, including farms, restaurants, tour outfits, and others within North Carolina.

And Bill is a key member of the North Carolina Oyster Trail Executive Committee who's an expert on the trail and what it's all about. In our conversation, we discuss the structure of the trail and the broader goals of promoting the North Carolina oyster industry through tourism. We weighed into the intricacies of oyster farming regulations and the unique experience for visitors exploring the trail. It is all part of a bigger effort in North Carolina to build and implement a collaborative plan called the Oyster Blueprint [00:02:00] for expanding in a sustainable way, the oyster industry, while at the same time protecting the environment, maximizing water quality, and creating greater public awareness of the importance of oysters in the world. North Carolina is a pioneer in this collaborative approach and dedicate significant effort to keep it current, relevant, and responsive to the needs of. All involved in oyster related businesses, but for most people, the power of this blueprint begins with the oyster trail and its design is intended to promote excellent oysters to hungry eaters.

So throw the kids and the dog in the car and hit the road to discover just what an oyster trail really is; the fun of North Carolina's Oyster Month; the wonders of shallow water oyster farming on the Outer Banks; what to do when a hurricane hits your oyster farm; the famed Outer Banks Seafood Festival, and so much more about experiencing the briny oysters of North Carolina with executive-turned-volunteer and head cheerleader for all things [00:03:00] oysters,

Bill Husted.  

Kevin: Hi, Bill. welcome to OYSTER-ology. I have been, learning about different oyster regions all around the United States in the development of this podcast, and one of the things that I have found lacking in many areas is a cohesive way for oyster lovers to find and identify locations where they can really learn about oysters and eat oysters and see farms and that sort of thing. So when I discovered the North Carolina Oyster Trail, I was instantly intrigued. What is your position with the North Carolina Oyster Trail?

Bill Husted: I sit on the executive committee, um, from, uh, actually started from the start with it when we launched it in about 2019. And, um, also I do some just volunteer activities, whatever needs to be done. It's a typical grassroots [00:04:00] type thing. We have, uh, everybody just pitches in and something needs to be done. We figure out how to make it happen.

Kevin: how did it start?

Bill Husted: Uh, it was originally, the need was originally identified in the North Carolina, uh, oyster blueprint. And we're, we're really, I think they were looking for a way to, uh, promote the North Carolina oyster industry through tourism, um, trying to make sure that the tourists have, places that they can go, enjoy oysters, maybe learn something about them, maybe see some farms. Uh, so, the discussions through, people in the industry, kind of led to the oyster trail. And, we started figuring out how to put that together, how to launch it and go to market with it.

Kevin: So you mentioned the North Carolina Oyster Blueprint. Tell me a little bit about that.

Bill Husted: It is a document, that's updated. I believe about every five years that lays out the priorities and the projects for, the North Carolina oyster industry in terms of making [00:05:00] sure that we have oysters in the future. So there's a lot of areas both building sanctuaries building new reefs. Things like the the trail to promote the industry as well.

Kevin: So I want to hear about the trail and that structure you mentioned, but first, I'm curious about, what got you involved in this? Do you have an oyster background or you just wanted to have an excuse to be involved with the oyster people in the industry?

Bill Husted: I was looking for an excuse to get involved with oysters. 

Kevin: No kidding. 

Bill Husted: So, when I joined, when I first started working on it, The most I knew about oysters was how to eat them and enjoy them. Um, and then just jumped in. I'm, I'm a big believer in, uh, jumping in swimming pool and learn how to swim. Uh, so that's what we did. So I have learned quite a bit since then through just some, a lot of reading, attending seminars, going out, visiting with some of our members.

Kevin: Do you ever get a chance to get your feet wet or your hands a little muddy with oysters?

Bill Husted: Oh yeah, I've been out on some tours, so I helped to work on some of the boats. Um, you know, just [00:06:00] to sort through the oysters as they're coming up, taking measurements and so forth. Uh, done some work on some of the reefs outside of the trail. Um, going out and doing restoration work in terms of creating reefs. Going back and monitoring some of the reefs and seeing how they're, if they're growing new oysters or not, and seeing how they're growing.

Kevin: So your background before this was not in oysters or aquaculture, is that right?

Bill Husted: That is correct. So I spent my career in the information technology industry, um, started writing software and then kind of moved more over to the business side of things, uh, various, uh, sales and sales management positions. Um, that included some startups and, and large company organizations as well.

 Kevin: You're like so many other people who, oysters was not the center of their lives until they had free time to actually think about how interesting they are. 

Bill Husted: Yep. Yep. It was, uh, uh, I was, I was fortunate. I was doing some work with the, uh, coastal federation and, uh, they [00:07:00] said they needed some help with the, with the oyster trail. So I, I jumped in and see what I could do.

Kevin: How many people are involved in the North Carolina Oyster Trail right now?

Bill Husted: Uh, there's quite a few on, if you look at the executive committee, there's four or five members on the executive committee, and then we have a, network of volunteers, throughout the state that help us build relationships with the different members that we have.

Kevin: I want to hear about the structure of the trail and I guess you have kind of two parts to it, members who are the actual people doing the work and then guests or visitors, 

Bill Husted: We're, we're there to try to support those, those guests and, the visitors, as well as the members, who will entertain our visitors.

Kevin: How do you, find members?

Bill Husted: When we started out, we did a lot of direct outreach. so there was, um, the organizations that we work with, the Coastal Federation, Sea Grant, and then the Shellfish Growers Association, uh, they're all kind of jointly involved with the Oyster [00:08:00] Trail. So, a lot of the, our members came from overlap and, or, people that heard about it through those organizations. We did some outreach ourselves to try to recruit some members. And then once we started getting momentum built, and we got some communications going in the industry, we started receiving inbound inquiries about it, which is great.

Kevin: Is there any kind of criteria that members need to meet to qualify to standards that you have on the trail?

Bill Husted: Um, there is the, uh, the first thing that we ask them to do is take a quiz and make sure that they have some basic knowledge about, oysters in general so that they can help educate their customers. It applies mostly to the restaurant, oyster bar industry. People that are growing already have that knowledge base in their organizations, but we want to make sure that the people that are Representing and talking about oysters or have factual information to give to their clients And then of [00:09:00] course we want them if the restaurants or oyster bars there's markets that are selling oysters. They might have oysters from other states and other areas, but we want to make sure that if they're selling oysters, that they've got some North Carolina oysters on the menu as well.

Kevin: Describe the trail for me, and how it's structured and how it works. Sure.

Bill Husted: I like to think about the oyster trail as kind of following the oyster life cycle, if you will. So if you think about, you get to start out with an oyster seed, we have a member that uh, that has a, a nursery. And so she sells, that seed oysters out to our growers and farmers that are raising oysters. Uh, and those farmers will then, they've got different channels that they sell through. Uh, so some of our farmers sell directly to consumer. Uh, some of them sell to local, uh, restaurants. Uh, some of them sell to markets. Some of them are in the business of, uh, they'll, they can come [00:10:00] and set up a oyster party at your house, if you're entertaining guests. so all these avenues are different members are on, on our trail. Uh, and then if you, a lot of those restaurants and different organizations are also involved with helping recycle oyster shells. And so then they will bring that oyster shell back into the recycling, process and, uh, and then get that back out into the waters and grow some more oysters for next year.

Kevin: And as a visitor or somebody that just wants to discover oysters in North Carolina, how do I use the trail?

Bill Husted: So the starting point in, uh, in most cases is going to be our website. Uh, we have a trail map on the website, um, if you're going to be in an area, if you're going to be in Wilmington and you want to know where, you can go get some, uh, some North Carolina oysters. Uh, you can have it, uh, search and or filter out our members and it'll it'll tell you the restaurants and oyster bars in that area that are serving North Carolina oysters. [00:11:00] Um, we also do a lot of outreach at different, uh, seafood festivals, different events that are going on around the state. Um, that that will do outreach, will educate the people and help guide them and let them know how to find some of our members. And that goes beyond the industry. we have been to farm aid, um, supported that, you know, these are farmers there. They've got some of the same issues. Um, But, uh, we've had had presentations there. Um, Surfer Loris, uh, which is a film festival on the Outer Banks. Um, so we get to reach into the surfing community and educate them. It turns out that they like oysters just as much as everybody else. So it's a fun time to to talk to them, interact.

We have one of our members that come up and shuck oysters and serve it to him. And so they get to experience very fresh oysters that were harvested that morning. uh, in that setting. So it's, uh, we try to outreach whatever opportunities that we can. Um, there's a lot [00:12:00] of events that we will do during oyster month.

We work with the governor's office every year, have october declared as oyster month. And through that, there's probably about 30 or more activities and events up and down the coast and inland as well. And so that's another way that people will interact with with the trail and activities of the trail.

Kevin: So by promoting these kinds of, establishments and having the October, Oyster Month, you're basically enabling people interested in oysters to discover the different merchants and the different oyster related opportunities that might exist.

Bill Husted: Exactly. That's what we're trying to do is kind of map the people that are interested in oysters at any level, if they want to learn about them or if they want to go have some, uh, take it, buy it to a market and take them home and fix them and eat them. Or if they want to go and sit down in a restaurant and, uh, and enjoy some oyster dishes, uh, we try to help them find out where they can do that.

Kevin: So it's really, it sounds [00:13:00] like an information clearing ground for if I'm driving through North Carolina, and I want to get oysters along the way.

I just go right to your website, and you'll show the different areas and what's there in those areas,

Bill Husted: That's that's a big part of it We also do a lot of work with our members to try to Uh, share information about the industry. Uh, let the members share about information about each other. Uh, so we'll do quarterly calls with the members. Um, we usually have a guest speaker. It may be someone from a regulatory body. For instance, not long ago we had there's new regulations coming out on what goes into a farm tour, what you can do and what are the requirements about doing farm tours. So we were able to have the people in that state agency that are driving those regulations present to our members that are giving farm tours and make sure that they're aware of them and understand what they need to do to comply with the [00:14:00] regulations.

Kevin: That's very interesting that there are regulations going into how to conduct a farm tour. Do you know much about that process? 

Bill Husted: I don't know what other states are doing it. but I, you know, as more and more people were, Starting to offer tours. Uh, I think the state looked at it and, uh, wanted to make sure that the oysters are safe, to eat, uh, that the activities are safe. So they, they started putting some regulations around that. the whole industry is pretty heavily regulated in terms of, uh, all, all of it is driven by safety requirements. They wanna make sure that the, that the oysters are safe, they're coming to market and being consumed.

Kevin: Yeah, and I suppose that any farm has its own Liability issues like taking people out on a boat if they're doing that, right?

Bill Husted: It's it's fairly complicated the the whoever's given the tour has to be a licensed Coast Guard captain And then there's other regulations more about the consumption it's about the consumption of oysters if they're if they're Actually [00:15:00] consuming oysters on as part of the tour or when they get back to the where the tours launch from

Kevin: Do you find in North Carolina, in either the bays or out on the outer banks, is it shallow water for oysters or is it deeper water?

Bill Husted: A lot of shallow water in the, in the different sounds that we have. Um, a lot of the farms are surface cages that they will use, um, easier to work. uh, there are some people that do bottom growing as well. Um, when they get their leases, they can lease for, the water column or the, or the surface waters. And that depends on what they want to do.

Kevin: The ability for somebody to walk out on a beach or get on a boat and watch the farmers pull cages is pretty exciting, especially if they're shucking them at the same time, which I imagine they probably are. 

Bill Husted: It is. It's a lot. You know, when I retired, I, uh, I started hearing about, uh, aquaculture and, uh, oyster farming. I thought, you know, that's, that's probably be a fun little, uh, retirement [00:16:00] business. And then I went out and visited a couple of them and said, decided that's not something you do for fun. That's a lot of hard work.

Kevin: And you worry about it. Like you're there, my kids or something. That's crazy.

Bill Husted: Yeah, well, I, uh, you know, that's the thing that you start to learn about. I said earlier that, you know, they're, they're, they're farmers. They're, they've got the same issues as other farmers, but a, a hurricane blows up the sound and all of a sudden you've got a million oysters at risk sitting out there in cages and what are you going to do about it? So some farmers, um, that I've talked to will. Try to sink the cages, get them out of harm's way and I put them on bottom, but then you've got to get them back up. That's a lot of weight to try to get up. Others will take them in out and put them in refrigeration units. Um, but that's, that's also a lot of handling, uh, a lot of gas to get back and forth from the shoreline. Uh, so it's, it's a, it's a challenging business.

Kevin: I did look at your map on your website and it looks like there's a lot of inland destinations on the map as well. Tell me a little bit about those [00:17:00] and how that fits into the whole kind of oyster area.

Bill Husted: We're very, very pleased to have those, those members on the map. It's not just that you don't have to be on the coast to enjoy the oyster. So, uh, those, the members that you see inland are typically restaurants and oyster bars and markets that sell, uh, North Carolina oyster. So, uh, as far West as Charlotte, we have a member out that way. A lot of 'em in the Raleigh Durham area, and then other, other areas up and down the, you know, bordering areas of the coast as well.

Kevin: Do you feel that there is greater awareness of diners regarding fresh oysters today over what you've seen in the past?

Bill Husted: I think so. Based on just conversations that I've had, uh, we have a booth at the Outer Banks Seafood Festival every year as part of the education tent. So we get to interact with people from all over the place that come in just for the seafood festivals.

But there's a lot of interest in in oysters in general. Uh, [00:18:00] it's a great protein source, healthy meal, but it's just a, it's a lot of fun to have an oyster roast and invite your friends over or just attend an oyster roast. In fact, uh, this weekend, the, uh, the north or the coastal federation is having their annual Hatteras Oyster Roast down in, uh, in, in, uh, Hatteras, uh, village. And, uh, that will draw quite a few people in and it's. You know, bands will be playing, oysters are being served, uh, oyster stew is being served. So it's, uh, it's a big time. So, you know, there'll be, you know, several hundred people attending, uh, attending that event. So the awareness is just growing. Um, they, they sell out tickets every, for that event every year. So everybody's anxiously waits when they announced the tickets are on sale. So yeah, the awareness of it and the, uh, consumption of the oysters, I think is growing year over year. And the numbers prove that when they, at the, on the harvest level.

Kevin: How is this, Oyster Trail funded? Is there, support from other organizations to kind of get the whole thing going and operate?

Bill Husted: We've gotten some grants to help get us started, [00:19:00] uh, you know, things, uh, the advertise, some of the advertising that we've done or the, uh, and so forth. The, the members are asked to, uh, pay a membership fee on an annual basis. It's a small amount, but it helps offset some of the cost of managing, um, the site itself. Um, funding is one of the areas that we're working on. We're trying to find more ways to get, get grants and or ongoing funding so that we can get some, um, uh, full time employees to help manage it and, and, and drive it forward. But we're not quite there yet. So, uh, one of the challenges that we're, we're facing, uh, is figuring out how to do that.

Kevin: On your map it is very concentrated along The Outer Banks. And, it looks to me like you could almost create a driving map and just go from oyster joint to oyster joint.

Bill Husted: I've often thought about doing it myself is just trying to start, uh, start up. I'm based out of manual North Carolina. And [00:20:00] so start on the at the Outer Banks and work my way down through the state and hitting different trail members. But haven't gotten to that yet. But it's on my list to do here.

Kevin: Have you had any situations where, there's, an environmental issue that's creating problems for oysters like Vibrio or Red Tide or something like that, where areas need to be closed? And if that happens, does the Oyster Trail have any ability to share that information. Do you do anything about that?

Bill Husted: Um, there's other channels that most of that information flows through. Uh, I mentioned earlier that it's a pretty highly regulated industry. Uh, so if something occurs that the farms need to close down, uh, for whatever reason, um, frequently, maybe after a heavy rain or storm, um, that the state will monitor water quality. If it's not at the right levels, then they will stop harvest in certain areas. And so those communications go directly from the state to [00:21:00] the to the growers themselves. So that's, uh, they manage that that process very well.

Kevin: So you don't have like a bulletin board or something that, uh, as a consumer I could look at and say, ah, I'm not gonna go to Pamlico Sound because, uh, it's condemned for the next three weeks or something like that.

Bill Husted: Right. That we, we don't at this point in time, no. We, we leave that up to the, uh, the, the state to, uh, to get that, that, that information out to the public. Right.

Kevin: So what kind of expansion plans do you have with the North Carolina Oyster Trail?

Bill Husted: Yeah, I think, um, you know, when we first started up, we were really focused on getting members and now we've got 85 members and some somewhere in that area. Um, and so now our, our focus is turning more to, um, you know, building deep relationships with those members, you know, you know, understanding how we can help them and then doing more outreach to the community, um, which is, is, you know, growing that awareness that you referenced earlier about North [00:22:00] Carolina oysters.

Uh, trying to, uh, to keep, uh, keep that growing. Um, you know, we'll continue with the events like the Oster month, that, that referenced earlier, other activities that we can do to promote the business.

Kevin: So, there is room for additional members. Do you find that there is a preference in terms of the members as restaurants versus farmers or other activities?

Bill Husted: Uh, no, I think the diversity of members that we have is one of the things that I enjoy seeing and getting involved with. So I think people maybe are drawn to it for one reason or another. They may just want to find out a restaurant where they can go and get some oysters. Um, but once they, they start getting into a little bit more than they may want to go out to a farm, uh, similar to going to your favorite brewery, uh, and or your. Winery that you or distillery, that, uh, that you en enjoy their product. You build those relationships. Uh, and a lot of the, the [00:23:00] farmers will give tours so the, uh, the consumer can go, uh, they can learn what it takes to grow, uh, an oyster. How they they go about doing that. Uh, as you said earlier, get in a boat, go out to the, to the cages, watch and see what it takes to, to grow 'em.

It's people are, are fascinated and, and love watching, you know, and learning about that. Yeah, I think the the the preference is to keep that all facets of the oyster industry on the on the trail We enjoy having all those members and I think our our visitors enjoy that as well.

Kevin: What about other seafood like other shellfish clams or even Shrimp or fish. Do you involve any of the other kind of offerings through the trail or is that something completely separate? 

Bill Husted: We have a couple of farmers that grow clams as well. But for the most part, it's oyster focused. That's what we're focused on.

Kevin: Do you know if there's a similar kind of thing for clams or shrimp?

Bill Husted: Not that I'm aware of. Not that I've heard of, no.

Kevin: I think that, getting the word out, [00:24:00] to people about, a structured way to find and discover new oyster opportunities in North Carolina is a really wonderful idea. And the fact that it's web based, so somebody can just look at it while they're driving down the road on their phone and figure out where to go.

Bill Husted: Yep. That's, uh, that's it. And I think we're, um, we're making a lot of in roads. I mean, our traffic to our website continues to grow year over year. Um, our social media following, uh, is growing year over year. So I think we're getting traction. People are excited about it and, uh, and keep continue to look for new opportunities.  

Kevin: I have one last question for you. Sure. You may not be able to answer this politically Do you have a favorite oyster?

Bill Husted: Do I have a favorite - North Carolina oysters.

Kevin: Of course. And within that wonderful world of North Carolina oysters, are you allowed to even say what your preference is?

Bill Husted: Um, I really like the salty briny flavors So the ones that are that are [00:25:00] grown closest to some of the the inlets Uh, we'll really have that saltier taste, uh, and those are the ones that, uh, that I like the best. 

Kevin: Yeah. I'm right there with you. I love North Carolina, so it's just another of so many excuses to get down there. 

Bill Husted: Please, uh, come on down. We'd love to have you and, uh, and I'll meet up with you and we'll have some oysters and, uh, enjoy them for a little bit.

Kevin: Well, Bill, I think that, that what you guys are doing is great. I want to explore some of the places on your trail myself. All right, Bill. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate everything.

Bill Husted: Kevin's been a pleasure. Yeah. Thank you. 

Kevin: While my conversation with Bill centered around the North Carolina Oyster Trail, he mentioned the broader oyster blueprint that the state has developed, which was not something I was aware of before we spoke. So I'll have one of the people who designed the Oyster Blueprint as a guest on a future episode of  to show the real power of cross industry coordination and planning to ensure [00:26:00] that all interested groups are aligned and share a common oyster focused goal. So stay tuned for that in the next few weeks. 

Well, that's it for this episode of . Thanks to my guest, Bill Husted. As always, show notes can be found for this episode, which include links to the Oyster Trail. And if you like this episode or anything else about the podcast, please leave a comment to let me know and tell others about  so they can follow it too.

The more people who know about it, the more others can find it as well. Thanks so much for listening, and be sure to join us again next time when we pry open the shell of another interesting  topic.