Alabama
A new website dedicated to Alabama oysters – Alabama NewsCenter
Alabama’s oysters have a brand new fan web page.
OystersAlabama.com is a web site just lately developed by the Cellular Bay Nationwide Estuary Program (MBNEP) to advertise oysters raised and farmed within the waters of coastal Alabama. Henry Perkins, enterprise useful resource supervisor for MBNEP, says the web site was designed to develop Alabama’s oyster farming trade.
“There wasn’t something particularly to advertise oysters themselves, which is a gap that wanted to be crammed,” he stated. “There’s loads of eating places down right here on the coast which might be serving oysters and there’s loads of individuals going to the shop to purchase oysters, however there’s not plenty of data at that form of base stage about the place these oysters are coming from.”
New web site promotes Alabama oysters from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
OystersAlabama.com contains a listing of Alabama oyster farms in addition to wholesale processors and distributors who carry aquaculture-raised Alabama oysters. Perkins stated offering this data in a single on-line location makes it straightforward for eating places and shops to search out native oysters.
“The aim is to hyperlink wholesalers and retailers to the sources in order that they know who to ask for and what to get,” Perkins stated. “It’s right here to only characteristic among the farms, to characteristic among the wild catchers and to encourage of us to exit to a restaurant, order oysters and ask your waiter the place they arrive from.”
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Perkins stated he’s had greater than a half-dozen distributors attain out to him because the web site launched earlier this yr, asking him to attach them with Alabama oyster farmers. He hopes the web site will proceed to develop demand for Alabama oysters.
“I want to see individuals use this web site as a launching level for all issues oyster,” Perkins stated. “I want to see a basic appreciation for this high-quality, ecologically-friendly protein that we’re creating, that’s filtering our waters, defending our shorelines and is de facto nice to eat.”
Wooden-grilled oysters from The Depot in Auburn. (contributed)
Oysters served at Capitol Oyster Bar in Montgomery. (Jared Boyd)
Oysters thrive within the waters of coastal Alabama as a result of the southern local weather permits for year-round harvest, and the flourishing bays and estuaries present loads of vitamin and safety that enhances the coastal panorama. Consequently, Alabama’s oyster reefs have traditionally harvested a mean of 1 million kilos of oysters per yr and have made the state one of many prime oyster-producers within the nation for greater than a century.
“We’ve received dozens and dozens of oystermen who’re harvesting oysters off of our reefs, however these oysters should not at all times eaten in Alabama,” Perkins stated. “A part of the ‘Eat Native’ motion calls for that we ask the place are our oysters coming from and the way can we assist this distinctive financial system?”
To study extra about Alabama oysters or to attach with an Alabama oyster farmer, processor or distributor, go to OystersAlabama.com.