Conservation Groups Urge Apalachicola Bay Oystering Moratorium

WFSU | By Tom Flanigan

Published July 6, 2020 at 4:19 PM CDT

Fishing boats like have less to catch with the collapse of the Apalachicola Bay oyster beds..

The dwindling wild oyster population of North Florida's Apalachicola Bay needs a break. So many Bay advocates are calling for a total oyster harvesting shutdown for as much as five years.

Georgia Ackerman, the Apalachicola Riverkeeper, is one of the oystering moratorium's leaders.

"The challenge is before us, the harvest has been in decline and now we have an opportunity by closing the Bay to allow those populations to increase."

Ackerman added her organization wasn't the only group calling for a harvesting halt.

"Many people in the community of Apalachicola, Eastpoint and Franklin County are in full support of this closure."

Now she said the state Game and Freshwater Fish Commission needs public comment on the closure by July 10th.

"The FWC staff are asking that folks submit their comments and then that will all be presented at the July 22nd meeting. And all that information is available on the FWC web site. There's also links to find on the Riverkeeper web site as well."