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.
What is that Boat? Kiosk
Welcome to the working waterfront, where local shellfishers work the waters using specialized boats and equipment. Visit this kisok to read more about the region's iconic "bird dog boat", the workhorse of the local clam and oyster aquaculture industry. Then, hang out and watch the water to see these boats and their crew at work. Can you spot bushel baskets of fresh clams?
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.
Horseshoe crab kiosk
While horseshoe crabs are not shellfish, exactly, and no one eats them, they are an important part of the ecological setting of Cedar Key. This kiosk explains more information about horseshoe crabs. The beach beyond the panel, the City Park Beach, is an important nesting site for horseshoe crabs. During full and new moon high tides, you might see a large number of horseshoe crabs nesting here. You can help out local research studies by reporting tagged horseshoe crabs, keep an eye out for white numbered discs on the shell. Otherwise, let the crabs be and do not be afraid of them! They are harmless, ancient creatures that are to be admired.
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.
Seafood Processing kiosk
Welcome to a local clam aquacuture processing facility! As you can see, this is a busy location so please be respectful of ongoing work as you take in the scene.Skilled professionals diligently handle, pick, and pack all shellfish products to ensure quality and safety for consumers. Historically, Cedar Key was a hub for blue crab processing but now clams are the major seafood processed locally. Read the panel to learn more about different types of processing, packing, and grading. If clams are actively being processed at the time of your visit, you may be able to see the tumbler in action. This is the major first step in washing live clams and culling out and dead clams before the next steps (grading and packing).
Ancient Peoples Kiosk and Shell Mound Observation Deck
Shellfish were collected and used by the Native Americans of Florida since they arrived at the end of the last Ice Age, about 14,000 years ago. Read the panel to learn more about how shellfish were intertwined with every aspect of Native cultures, including food, materials, and rituals. Then, explore the observation deck and other trails at Shell Mound to observe wild oyster reefs as well as tour the shell middens that give this area its name. While you tour, reflect upon how our relationship to shellfish has changed through the years.
UF Shellfish Aquaculture Research and Education Facility
Adjacent to the FWC Marine Laboratory in Cedar Key is the Shellfish Aquaculture Research and Education Facility, locally nicknamed the “Clam Shack”. The facility serves as a field station for UF research and extension faculty and accommodates various research projects pertaining to shellfish aquaculture. If the doors are open, stop on in and learn about ongoing work to support the shellfish industry and get up-to-date information about clam farming in Cedar Key. Also check out this website, 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.
