North Carolina Fights to Restore Oyster Population

It’s hard to believe now, but North Carolina was once a haven for oysters.

Rewind the clocks to the 1880s, when records show just how many of the shelled creatures were harvested from the state’s coastlines. Around this time, fisherman tallied hefty harvests of almost one million bushels.

By the turn of the century, though, things started to change.

For one, the demand for oysters grew and fishermen started to overharvest them. Human development also caused damage the oysters’ natural habitat. It also introduced new diseases into the water, especially ones brought by non-native species. These factors sent the oyster population into …read more