Paid programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Maritime Museum in Beaufort.
Registration and Refund Policy:
Registration costs, less a 10% fee, are refunded when the museum receives cancellation notice at least 48 hours before the start of a program. There is no refund within 48 hours of the start of a program, and tickets cannot be transferred to a later program date within that 48 hour timeframe. Due to material costs and supply, Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center Courses require a 2-week notification for cancellations; only the course fee is refunded if cancellation occurs prior to 2 weeks. The Museum reserves the right to cancel any program that does not meet the minimum participant requirement up to one week before the program is scheduled. In the event of cancellation due to low enrollment, participants who have submitted a fee will receive a full refund. If a program is canceled due to inclement weather and unable to be rescheduled for another date, the participants will receive a full refund.
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North Carolina’s Oyster Boom
March 15, 2023 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
For generations, North Carolina’s oyster industry was underdeveloped. This changed in the late 19th century when North Carolina oyster beds attracted attention following overharvesting in the Chesapeake Bay and the nation’s insatiable appetite for oysters. By the late 1880s, North Carolina oystermen and fish dealers were benefiting from an expanding oyster industry. The incredible profits that oysters yielded motivated Baltimore and Norfolk capitalists to move their oyster canneries and packhouses to coastal North Carolina. Controversy quickly arose as North Carolina watermen felt that the state’s oyster fishery was being monopolized and overharvested by out-of-state businesses and oystermen. The North Carolina legislature stepped in to regulate the industry, however, it struggled to formulate policy that balanced both conservation and business. By the early 20th century, North Carolina’s oyster fishery became overharvested, and it has never fully recovered.
Join Maritime Historian David Bennett for the free presentation held in the museum auditorium and livestreamed on Zoom. The program is presented in partnership with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. The programs focus on the history of four different fisheries in North Carolina as part of the DMF celebration of 200 Years of State Marine Fisheries Management and Conservation in North Carolina.
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Registration and Refund Policy:
Registration costs, less a 10% fee, are refunded when the museum receives cancellation notice at least 48 hours before the start of a program. There is no refund within 48 hours of the start of a program, and tickets cannot be transferred to a later program date within that 48 hour timeframe. Due to material costs and supply, Harvey W. Smith Watercraft Center Courses require a 2-week notification for cancellations; only the course fee is refunded if cancellation occurs prior to 2 weeks. The Museum reserves the right to cancel any program that does not meet the minimum participant requirement up to one week before the program is scheduled. In the event of cancellation due to low enrollment, participants who have submitted a fee will receive a full refund. If a program is canceled due to inclement weather and unable to be rescheduled for another date, the participants will receive a full refund.