Commercial fishermen call for moratorium on new oyster leases in Wakulla County

The Wakulla Commercial Fisherman’s Association And the Franklin County Seafood Workers Association is asking Florida’s Department of Agriculture to stop adding more oyster-farm leases along Wakulla County’s coastline until all of Wakulla’s existing oyster leases are being used.

The two groups are asking that any new leases be stopped until current leases that are unused are shut down and that the contract are ended with existing leases that violate state regulations.

Commercial fishermen are concerned that the oyster leases take away areas that fishermen have fished and crabbed for generations – they have also voiced concerns that oyster farms have driven mullet out of areas that have historically been good for fishing.

They also claim that some of the leases are in areas where crabbers tend to place their traps and where oysters already grow naturally.

The Fishermen's Association says if the Department of Agriculture does not begin to enforce its own rules, it will deliver a crippling blow to Wakulla County's Commercial fishing industry.

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