ORLANDO, Fla. — State wildlife officials may soon allow limited oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, following a recommendation from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff.
The FWC staff have suggested a limited reopening of the bay for commercial and recreational oyster harvesting, as some oyster reefs have shown signs of recovery.
The bay has been closed to harvesting since 2020 to allow for ecological restoration.
“This is not an Apalachicola Bay issue. This is not a Florida issue, a gulf issue, or a United States issue. This is a global issue of dramatically declining oyster populations,” said Devin Resko, Biological Administrator at the FWC.
Apalachicola Bay was once a major supplier of oysters, providing more than 90 percent of Florida’s oysters before the fishery collapsed in 2013. The decline in oyster populations has been a significant concern for local communities and the seafood industry.
The issue of reopening the bay for oyster harvesting is scheduled to be discussed by the FWC next week.
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