Beaufort oyster industry explores agritourism

David Cessna, called Clammerhead by his co-workers, has spent his career working in the oyster industry.

He now gives tours of the oyster trails on the Newport River, explaining where they're grown, how they're grown and how they taste.

"We're about to go on North Carolina's first official oyster tour," Cessna said.

"We're trying to develop what other states have called the oyster trail and experience the oysters that areas have to offer, get some knowledge on it, in particular with these tours."

As co-founder of Sandbar Oysters, Cessna shows off oysters he raises like beds of grotesque flowers.

He and his partners put down mats made of biodegradable fibers that oyster seeds attach themselves to and flourish.

Cessna grows oysters with UNC marine science professor Niels Lindquist.

"It's something we need to bring back to its past glory days," Lindquist said.