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To celebrate the triumphant return of Crassostrea virginica, Governor McAuliffe declared November to be Virginia Oyster Month and officially launched the Virginia Oyster Trail.
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Fixed bottom oyster cages are one option for maintaining oysters off the bottom. Each grower must consider characteristics of the growing site and his or her ability to handle the weight of the containers.
Turns out 2015 was a good year for oyster lovers. First, news came that the Virginia oyster harvest increased by 31 percent in 2014—more than 658,000 bushels, with a dockside value of $33.8 million. Then, to celebrate the triumphant return of Crassostrea virginica, Governor McAuliffe declared November to be Virginia Oyster Month and officially launched the Virginia Oyster Trail.
The trail that meanders through all of coastal Virginia, the Northern Neck, Middle Peninsula, and Virginia’s Eastern Shore, includes locally owned restaurants and raw bars, seafood companies, oyster farms, eco-tour groups, artists and artisans, retail establishments, and lodging.
“Three years ago, the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula were having a lot of conversations about economic development,” explains Susan Cockrell, Kilmarnock’s deputy town manager. “How do we bring jobs to the area? How do we revitalize our heritage craft and not lose our watermen?” Along the way, they happened upon a brilliant idea. Why not claim the oyster just as Maryland claims the crab? “Three people led the charge to get the attention of the Commonwealth of Virginia: Joni Carter, then executive director of Northern Neck Visions, who made nearly one hundred calls to Richmond to get the Commonwealth’s attention; Dudley Patteson, owner of Irvington’s Dog & Oyster Vineyard, who understood how well the oyster pairs with Virginia wines; and Jimmie Carter, who had quite a few governments connections in Richmond.”
A management team, made up of business and civic leaders guided by the Artisans Center of Virginia, set to work to launch the trail. Structured just like the Northern Neck Artisan Trail, the Virginia Oyster Trail has its own website at virginiaoystertrail.com, featuring trail sites that include agri-artisans along with nearby restaurants, retail establishments, artists, lodging, and other related organizations and businesses, and attractions of historic and cultural interest. While the trail is officially open for business, the online PDF map and brochure are slated to launch in the fall.* Visitors can then download a map and plan their itinerary.
Trail sites cover seven distinct oyster-producing regions in the state, each featuring an oyster with a unique flavor, ranging from salty to buttery to sweet. Two of the seven regions are in the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula: Upper Bay Western Shore and Middle Bay Western Shore. “At the end of the day,” says Susan Cockrell, “this is a statewide culinary trail. Virginia has these wonderful culinary products and culinary travel and being a foodie is very popular now.”
Best of all? Since each bivalve filters fifty gallons of water a day, the renaissance in the oyster industry provides real, tangible, environmental benefits. The more we shuck and slurp, the cleaner our waters. A delicious win-win!
*Check the website virginiaoystertrail.com for updates on the availability of the Virginia Oyster Trail PDF map and brochure, which will be distributed at regional restaurants, hotels, visitor centers, and retail establishments.
For more information, go to virginiaoystertrail.com, artisanscenterofvirginia.org, and vaoystercountry.com.