Bivalve Bites ~ 2022 OS Symposium Recap
BIVALVE BITES: EASILY DIGESTIBLE OYSTER AQUACULTURE NEWS
Two weeks ago, a lot of the Oyster South community was in beautiful coastal Mississippi for the 2022 OS Symposium. Thanks to the symposium, the Biloxi area was flooded with oyster farmers, oyster distributors, oyster-loving chefs, oyster researchers and other oyster-farming industry folks from April 5-7. Over the three-day event, attendees talked about pressing issues and shared relevant, practical research on oyster aquaculture as well as insights into the best ways to grow, deliver and serve oysters.
While it’s an annual event, it was the first in-person symposium since 2020 due to the pandemic. It was a treat to be together again. If you didn’t make it, we missed you, and you missed some amazing fellowship, food and fantastic talks, presentations and panels. Here are a few highlights.
After a small group hatchery tour and a workshop focused on identifying good markets for Southern oysters, the symposium kicked off big with a Director’s Welcome Reception at the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Ocean Springs. Plenty of oyster-centric art set an appropriate scene, while appetizers including succulent duck-fat cornbread and collard bites, were washed down with a signature cocktail from Oxford, Mississippi, mixologist Joe Stinchcomb. Using Charleston-based High Wire Distilling botanical gin, burnt honey and lemon, he created a sweet-tart sipper called the Hive Wire.
High winds and severe weather threats meant Wednesday’s plans for meeting under a large tent on the grounds of the Ohr O’Keefe Art Museum in Biloxi had to be quickly changed, and Beth Walton, OS executive director extraordinaire, and her team got it all sorted out – with the patience and grace of symposium attendees.
The day’s lectures and talks took place at Biloxi’s Slavonian Lodge, where multiple topics were explored including: how wave action, biofouling control and density affect the performance of oysters and the benefits of “shellfish trails” in tourism efforts. Also, Oyster South’s newest work to help market and promote Southern oyster farmers via articles on the OS website and a food-focused e-newsletter was explained.*
A panel on innovations in packaging for farmed oysters put a spotlight on the need and desire to replace the most prevalent packaging material – Styrofoam – with more sustainable alternatives. Reps from companies currently making these products, including Atlantic Tape and Packaging, explained their products and addressed concerns like temperature guarantees and costs. Cypress Point Oyster Company’s use of RFID tags to add info and interest to its packaging was also part of the discussion.
Results of a survey examining the direct marketing of oysters had some interesting findings, notably that consumers ranked oysters and clams the least popular seafood items to be shipped and sold directly to them. One thought was that a lot of people simply don’t know how to get into these bivalves or how to best prepare them and so shy away from them.
That afternoon, the trade show and happy hour at the Ohr O’Keefe Art Museum let suppliers and vendors show off the latest and greatest in oyster farming tools and gear, before the Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum in Biloxi welcomed symposium attendees for the Shuck and Tell party that evening. Guests sipped another High Wire Distilling cocktail, mixed onsite again by Stinchcomb, and sampled the harvests of farms from North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida (Atlantic and Gulf), Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
On the final day, speakers outlined the effects of climate change on oyster aquaculture and presented thoughts on which work boats function best. And before Walton closed out the event, the group enjoyed a round of lightning-fast three-minute tech talks before a closing tradeshow and happy hour.
We’d like to again say a huge “THANKS!” to everyone who helped make the 2022 Symposium possible and so positive. A post-event survey shows that attendees got a lot out of it; they ranked the parties, the chance to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones as well as the wealth of current, relevant science and other info shared as their favorite aspects. Next year’s symposium will contain more of the same. We’re already looking forward to it and hope to see you there.
*This article is one example of the content OS will be publishing every month on the website. We’re telling OS community stories in three categories: Farm Fresh (oyster farm profiles), Bivalve Bites (sharing aquaculture industry news, innovations and more) and Eat Up (food-focused profiles of oyster-loving chefs, cooks, mixologists, sommeliers and other oyster enthusiasts with recipes). We’re looking for ideas for all three categories, so feel free to send thoughts and suggestions to Jennifer Kornegay at j_kornegay@charter.net.