Tag Archives: oyster reefs
Apalachicola Bay commercial oyster bag limit lowered to 3 – Oyster reefs ‘in worse shape’
The commercial bag limit for oysters in Apalachicola Bay will be lowered to three bags per harvester during the winter season, Sept. 1 through May 31. Several other oyster conservation measures implemented previously will also continue this winter season. These changes are effective in all of Apalachicola Bay, including all waters of Indian Lagoon in Gulf County. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) began implementing conservation measures in the fall of 2014 in an effort to help the Apalachicola Bay oyster population recover from the effects of low river flow. Apalachicola Bay oyster populations have significantly declined in recent years due to lack of sufficient fresh water flows in the Apalachicola River. Read the post here Oyster reefs ‘in worse shape’ – “We’re in worse shape. We’ve got to have river flow, that’s the first thing.” None of the SMARRT leadership seated at the front table disputed Estes’ findings. “I couldn’t get 100 legal oysters from there, and I moved around,” said SMARRT chair Shannon Hartsfield, referring to Dry Bar North and Green Point, reefs in the western portion of the bay, which in three separate surveys this summer yielded no more than 15 bags per acre to FWC surveyors. Read the article here 13:12
‘Historic’ red tide could keep oyster reefs closed for months
Oyster season won’t be reopening any time soon in Mississippi. The CMR was told the required red tide testing to make sure oysters are safe for harvest, could take up to three months. “We’ve never had one at this level or this intensity. This is a historic event,” the DMR’s Joe Jewell said at this morning’s special meeting of the CMR. Jewell was talking about the red tide event which closed oyster season nearly two weeks ago. Read the article here 12:41
Gulf Oystermen are Struggling.
The recent heavy rains are to blame for the DMR closing the Pass Christian oyster reefs Tuesday afternoon. more@wlox,com
It’s 98 percent off this year. That’s the lowest I’ve ever seen it,” said George Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fisherman’s Association. Barisich believes seeing lingering effects of the BP oil disaster are impacting oyster landings. He said dispersed oil made it impossible for spat to catch on reefs, so few new oysters could grow. wwltv.com
Oystermen say crop in short supply ahead of Thanksgiving – In just a few days, shoppers will head to stores to buy oysters to make dressing for Thanksgiving. But some local oystermen say they’re struggling to find enough crop and they only foresee the problem getting worse. more@fox8live 08:14
