Florida might shut down bay known nationally for its oysters

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Because of a dwindling oyster population, a Florida agency is expected to shut down oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay through the end of 2025, dealing a blow to an area that historically produced 90% of the state’s oysters and 10% of the nation’s.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is scheduled to vote on the closure Wednesday during a virtual meeting. People in the area are divided between coming up with a long-term plan to save the industry, and allowing it to continue on a limited basis.

“It breaks my heart, man. I’ve watched boats out there my whole life,” said Brandon Martina, who works at Lynn's Quality Oysters, a bayfront business his family has run since 1971. The business started out as a wholesale oyster-shucking house, but as supplies dwindled, they converted it into a retail seafood shop and restaurant.

But instead of serving Apalachicola oysters, they're buying them from Texas.

“We went from running tractor-trailer loads to getting maybe eight to 10 bags a day, so we just started doing a hatch shell bar,” he said.

The commission issued an emergency order in July shutting down oyster harvesting on Aug. 1 until it considers the five-year shutdown at Wednesday’s meeting. The industry has struggled for years, in large part due to a drain on freshwater flowing into the bay. Atlanta uses the water upstream as a water supply, and as it has drawn more water, it’s affected the salinity level in the bay that helps oysters thrive.

David Barber owns a wholesale and retail oyster and seafood business in nearby Eastpoint. He's one of less than a handful of wholesalers in a region that used to have dozens, but now he's selling Texas oysters.

Still, he thinks a five-year closure is going too far, saying the right conditions could help oyster...