UF study says drought, not oil to blame for poor Apladchicola Bay oyster crop

A recent study by the University of Florida on the oyster crops in the Apalachicola Bay found no evidence that pollutants from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill contributed to the “unprecedented” decline in recent Apalachicola Bay oyster populations.

Instead, the report by UF’s Oyster Recovery Team cites drought, insufficient rainfall and increased salinity in the bay as factors contributing to the poor state of the oyster crop.

The Apalachicola River and the two rivers that feed it have experienced exceptional drought during the past three years an water quality data indicate that 2012 was a year of high salinity throughout the bay.

The University of Florida oyster recovery team discussed the report and findings with a crowd of about 60 residents and seafood workers last Wednesday.

A full copy of their report can be found at oysterradio.com.

One concern locally is the lack of small oysters in the bay, which doesn’t bode well for legal-sized oysters in 2013 and 2014.

Computer modeling suggests it could take as long as a decade for the population to recover unless large-scale oyster-bar restoration projects occur.

The report recommends more research on this issue and the task force will continue to work with the local community through grant proposals to fund further restoration, research and community-development efforts.

The report also suggests that the local seafood industry might want to look at the crown conch as another potential market to help take some of he pressure off oysters

Crown conchs are a native mollusk recently approved for commercial development and recent test-marketing of the delicacy had been highly successful in restaurants.

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