Abstract:
Ocracoke Island residents harvested oysters long before Sir Walter Raleigh’s agents discovered the island. Following the Civil War, however, Ocracokers harvested increasing numbers of the shellfish and nurtured their beds to ensure that there would be plenty of oysters for generations. In 1890, tensions grew between native Ocracokers and outsiders whose dredging practices had virtually destroyed their oyster populations. Eventually, the state passed to protect Ocracoke’s oyster beds from over-fishing.