The state has
announced that it is making 4 and a half million dollars available for shelling
in the Apalachicola Bay.
The money will be used to buy
shell and pay oystermen to continue oyster bed restoration efforts.
The funding for this program
comes from a Federal Fishery Disaster grant that was granted in 2013.
Shelling allows
oyster fishermen to improve habitat conditions for oysters by using their
boats and labor to place oyster shells or other materials on the oyster reefs
providing a good place for a new crop of oysters to settle and grow.
This targeted shelling program
will last through the end of the year and represents one of the largest
shelling programs in the history of the fishery.
State officials say they do not
plan to close the bay anytime soon – that question has been a very heated topic
of discussion in recent weeks.
As the winter harvest season for
Apalachicola Bay oysters enters its second month, the FWC also announced the
area’s oyster beds will remain open while agencies continue monitoring and
assessing oyster resources.
FWC said current information
indicates continuing the limited harvesting of legal-sized oysters will not
reduce the potential for longer-term recovery of oyster crops.
In addition to the shelling
program, the FWC has already put in place conservation measures for
Apalachicola’s oyster fishery, that include closing East Hole to recreational
and commercial oyster harvesting and cutting the daily commercial harvest and
possession limit from to five bags of oysters in the shell per person.
Oystermen are also limited to a 4
day work-week through the winter season.
http://live.oysterradio.com/
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