The Florida Department of Agriculture will hold a public hearing in Apalachicola on Friday afternoon to discuss proposed new summer oyster harvesting rules. The proposed rules are designed to meet federal requirements to protect oyster consumers from a naturally occurring bacterium called Vibrio Vulnificus.
The proposed changes include limiting the amount of time oystermen can be on the water from May through July from dawn till 11:30 in the morning and from August through October from dawn until noon. The rule is designed to keep harvested oysters out of the hot summer sun.
Oyster processors are also looking at tighter restrictions including a requirement that they be able to cool oysters to 55 degrees or less within 8 hours – for many dealers that would require better cooling systems than they have now.
The Department of Agriculture, which oversees oyster harvesting in Florida, says the new rules are needed to meet a federal requirement of lowering the number of illnesses and deaths caused by Vibrio vulnificus by 60 percent. Currently about 30 people a year get sick from Vibrio and about 15 die nationwide.
Department of Agriculture officials will be in town on Friday to discuss the new rules with oyster harvesters and dealers. The public hearing will begin at 4 PM at the Franklin County Courthouse Annex in Apalachicola.
Similar hearings will be held next week in Ponte Vedra Beach and Cedar Key.
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