Franklin County Commissioners are looking for ways to keep an influx of out-of-state oyster harvesters from descending on the Apalachicola this summer. The board is concerned that a slew of oyster harvesters put out of work in Louisiana could make their way to Franklin County to find jobs on the water.
County commissioner Bevin Putnal said we already have about 1100 local oystermen working the bay, if we add 5 or 6 hundred more it would put a huge strain on the summer oyster bars and would likely deplete the resource very quickly. The bay, he said, will not support thousands of additional workers.
The commission is looking at two options to keep more workers from moving in. The first is to ask that BP provide more work for seafood workers in Louisiana so that they don’t have to come to Franklin County to make a living. The board has also agreed to contact state government officials asking them to look at the problem and if possible stop selling local oyster harvesting licenses on an emergency basis to out of state harvesters.
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