The five-year long ban on wild Oyster harvesting in the Apalachicola Bay is set to end.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission voted Wednesday to move forward with reopening a small section of the bay for a limited two-month recreational and commercial harvest starting January 1st.
The bay used to provide most of Florida’s oysters but has been closed since 2020 after the oyster population significantly dwindled. The hope was that a five-year break would give the reefs time to rebound. Now, state officials are planning to partially lift the oyster tonging moratorium. Only about 500 of the bay’s 10,000 acres that were harvested during Apalachicola’s peak will be open.
Erika Burgess, section leader for the FWC, said during Wednesday’s meeting the slow reopening plan is in line with the science and stakeholder feedback.
“Staff are recommending a lower percentage because Apalachicola Bay has been slow to recover and we're still in the early stages. Generally, stakeholders support limiting the amount of harvest because they don't want to undo the recovery we have seen,” she said.
Some areas of the bay will be open to permitted commercial harvesting on weekdays, with permitted recreational harvesting of one bag per person on weekends.
Tom Wheatley of Pew Charitable Trusts told commissioners he supports the move.
“We also commend this commission for setting an ambitious goal of going from approximately 500 acres of oysters now to 2000 acres in 2032. Rebuilding oyster reefs will benefit the entire region by improving water quality, providing habitat for species targeted by recreational anglers, in addition to supporting the commercial fishery,” he said.
Millions of dollars annually are still needed by the state to support restoration. Prominent state government figures, including Governor Ron DeSantis, applauded the reopening.