Big Bend Shellfish Trail Kiosk
Calling all seafood lovers! The Big Bend Shellfish Trail is a gastronomical exploration of dock-to-table destinations along the Big Bend coast. By following the longest shellfish trail in the U.S. and first in Florida, you can eat your fill of clams, crabs, scallops, shrimp and oysters and also learn about their fisheries. Here in Cedar Key, you will visit educational kiosks and other points of interest that shine a light on the hidden world of local shellfish. How are they farmed or caught? What are the boats and gear types used? Where can I get some of that delicious bounty? Follow the trail to find out...This is the first stop on the tour and the next several stops are best accessed by walking. Find a parking spot and head over to the next stop to keep going.
Clam Aquaculture and Oyster Kiosks
Look out over the railing by these kisoks toward Dog Island. Do you see the PVC poles on the horizon? These are clam farms. Growing there, millions of hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria, tended by local aquaculture growers.Oysters and clams support an important industry in the Cedar Key area, providing food, jobs, and ecosystem services (like water filtration). The clam aquaculture industry began in the 1990s and today, there are about 800 acres of aquaculture leases in the nearshore coastal waters of Levy County dedicated to clam farming. You can find both wild-harvested and aquacultured oysters for sale in local restaurants and fish houses. Make sure you find a way to enjoy these delicacies during your visit! Read the kiosk panels for more information about each fishery.
Stone and Blue Crabs
Crab fisheries represent another important group of fisheries in Cedar Key, especially since WWII. Stone crabs are one of Florida's most unique commodities. Only the claws are harvested and stone crab claws are only available certain times of year. Blue crabs, in contrast, are found throughout the eastern US and Gulf of Mexico. They are highly abundant in Florida and open for harvest year-round. Cedar Key was historically an important packing and processing center for blue crabs and other shellfish. Next to each kiosk, you can see an example of the traps used to catch each type of crab. Read the panels for more in-depth information about each crab and trap type. Then, keep your eyes peeled around town for stacks of crab traps. Fishers stack the traps in the sun to combat fouling organisms such as barnacles and sea squirts that grow on the outside of the traps.
Discovery Room at the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station
The Discovery Room is a small exhibit space at the University of Florida's Nature Coast Biological Station (NCBS). If the Discovery Room is open to visitors, stop in and check out the exhibits. You'll find one about clam aquaculture where you can learn about ongoing work to support the shellfish industry and get up-to-date information about clam farming in Cedar Key. You can also learn about other exciting fish, wildlife, and natural resources of the Suwannee River and Cedar Key. The NCBS lab facility serves as a field station for UF research and extension faculty and accommodates various research projects pertaining to natural resources. Also check out these websites to learn more about NCBS (https://ncbs.ifas.ufl.edu/) or the Shellfish Aquaculture Extension program (https://shellfish.ifas.ufl.edu/).
Cedar Key Chamber of Commerce
If open, stop in to the Chamber of Commerce to get more information about local shellfish. The helpfull staff have the most up-to-date information about restauraunts serving local shellfish options and vendors where you can buy your own. If the Chamber is not open, check back another time and continue on to seek out your own shellfish! Cedar Key's downtown Dock Street is a great place to start.
