By Staff Report
After a five-year shutdown, Apalachicola Bay will reopen to limited oyster harvesting on Jan. 1, signaling cautious optimism for the future of the once-famed fishery.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved rule changes allowing a two-month harvest season from Jan. 1 through Feb. 28. Future seasons are planned for October through February, if conditions allow.
Franklin County Commissioner Cheryl Sanders said she plans to be on the water’s edge on opening day.
“I’m taking my day off from my hunting to come watch those boats on that bay,” Sanders told commissioners Wednesday at Palm Beach State College in Belle Glade.
Under the rule, licensed commercial harvesters may work weekdays, while recreational harvesters will be limited to weekends. The commission will initially cap commercial permits to protect the fragile fishery — a move Commissioner Ottice Amison said could restrict future growth.
“I think what we’re doing is we’re involuntarily shutting this fishery down long-term by doing that,” Amison said.
FWC officials countered that the cap can be revisited in later seasons.
“We want to start conservatively to ensure that we’re open next year and the year after that and the year after that,” said Erika Burgess of the agency. “We don’t want to go into another closure.”
Apalachicola Bay once produced more than 90% of Florida’s oysters and 10% of the nation’s supply, but the industry collapsed in 2013 due to factors including hurricanes, habitat loss, overharvesting, disease, poor water quality, and water-flow reductions linked to upstream use in Georgia.
Just 500 acres of reef habitat are currently suitable for harvesting — a dramatic drop from 10,000 acres of healthy reef in the mid-2000s. The bay has been closed since 2020 to allow restoration.
The reopening has support from resiliency groups, including The Pew Charitable Trusts, which also backed the closure.
“If we want to get near those numbers again, this conservative approach is necessary,” said Pew project director Tom Wheatley.
FWC has a goal of restoring 2,000 acres of reef habitat by 2032, a plan estimated to cost $30 million to $55 million each year. Lawmakers provided $12.5 million this fiscal year for reef restoration and $5 million for wastewater and stormwater projects to protect water quality.
