Improving Local Economies Through Agritourism
For over three centuries, Tangier Island has been a treasure of the Chesapeake Bay, supporting a small community based primarily on crab and oyster harvesting. Many residents proudly trace their lineage to the families that initially settled Tangier in the seventeenth century. The islanders of today, however, see a difficult future for Tangier Island’s seafaring economy. Many younger residents have left the island seeking jobs.
On the island, reduced crab and oyster harvests, coastal erosion, conservation management, and increasing competition from imports have resulted in a gradual economic decline. Until recently, tourism has primarily been limited to visitors who came to the island for a few hours, giving them little understanding of life there. For those who have grown up in this idyllic place, there is a crucial need for new opportunities to maintain their distinct culture.
Dan Kauffman, a Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) seafood specialist at the Virginia Seafood Agriculture Research and Extension Center; Nancy McGehee, an associate professor of hospitality and tourism at Virginia Tech; and Crystal Tyler- Mackey, a VCE community viability specialist, worked with Island residents to launch a new option for the economy – an agritourism experience. This experience includes a waterman’s boat tour to see how hard and peeler crabs are caught and a visit to a crab shanty to watch peelers become softshell crabs. Visitors can also see the island’s many bird species and other wildlife while kayaking on water trails. Dining and lodging options are available at long-established local inns and eateries, all of which retain the island’s distinctive charm.
These new tourism initiatives will not turn the working watermen of Tangier Island into full-time tourist guides; however, the new tourism will supplement their income. Not every crabber on Tangier favors the new tourism, but those who have signed on have experienced some success.
Among these is the mayor of Tangier, James Eskridge. He began encouraging visitors to tour his crab shanty in late summer. In the first month, about 90 people (including the actor Dustin Hoffman) took the tour of his facility, which sits on piers off of Tangier’s shoreline, entirely surrounded by water. The additional income from this “experiential” tourism will help ameliorate fluctuations in market prices and harvest totals for crabs and oysters.
Virginia Tech and VCE’s work to promote this project should benefit the island for decades to come, promoting a wider appreciation of and a new revenue base for the evolving Tangier Island community.
Additional information is available at www.gotangierisland.com.