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...

North Carolina’s shrimp industry slowly emerged in the Lower Cape Fear region during the 19th century. However, it did not take-off until the years leading up to World War I when Scandinavian immigrants introduced the otter trawl to Brunswick County. Following the introduction of the...

Sharks are some of the most fascinating, ecologically important, threatened, and misunderstood animals on Earth. Join award-winning marine biologist Dr. David Shiffman in the museum auditorium for a free presentation on how—and why—we should protect these mysterious, misunderstood guardians of the ocean. Copies of his...