Oysters: the Sustainable Seafood | Chuck Weirich, Tim Holbrook & Tom Cannon | TEDxGuilfordCollege
Oyster farming is a growing industry in North Carolina. It will bring jobs to coastal communities that desperately need them. Oyster Aquaculture even provides substantial environmental benefits.
Chuck Weirich works with NC Sea Grant to provide support to North Carolina’s developing marine aquaculture industry — encompassing the production of molluscan shellfish, crustaceans, and finfish — through outreach and technology transfer activities. He oversees and assists with research and demonstration projects designed to improve and refine production methods for the aquaculture industry. Weirich is experienced in research, education, extension, and farm management. In addition, he has held positions with universities, federal and state governmental agencies, and the commercial aquaculture industry.
A native of the central Texas Hill Country, Weirich holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M, a master’s degree from Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University) and a doctoral degree from Clemson University.
Tim Holbrook is a simple oyster farmer who uses modern and scientifically advanced methods that are cutting edge in the aquaculture industry.
While growing nearly a million oysters each year, his farm Masonboro Reserve Oyster Co. is filtering 500 million gallons of water each day. The removal of algae and nitrogen from the water is protecting the marine estuaries. His oysters are featured in some of the most highly acclaimed restaurants on the East Coast. Working closely with the Center for Marine Science at UNCW on various research projects, he is also a research grant recipient from NCSU Sea Grant for developing innovative aquaculture techniques. He is passionate about spreading the word that North Carolina is now the Napa Valley of oysters.
Raised along the Trent River in eastern North Carolina, Tom loved the water. After studying Sustainable Development and Appropriate Technology at Appalachian State, he worked for an ocean conservation non-profit in Washington, DC. Feeling a bit landlocked, Tom took a diving vacation to Thailand that turned into a seven-year adventure, in which time Tom taught school, ran a furniture company, and received his MBA from Thailand’s premier business school, Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration. Currently, Tom is in the process of getting his own oyster farm up and running in Wilmington, NC.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at