Apalachicola Bay Oyster harvesting license sales below normal

Apalachicola Bay Oyster harvesting license sales are well below average this year and there is only one day left to buy the licenses.

As of Thursday afternoon only 833 Apalachicola Bay Oyster harvesting licenses have been sold.

Last year the Department of Agriculture sold Over 1560 Apalachicola Bay oyster harvesting licenses and they sold nearly 1700 licenses the year before that.

Monday is the last day to purchase the licenses for 100 dollars if you are a Florida resident.

On July 1st a late fee of 500 dollars takes effect.

And don’t forget you have to take a 20 minute seminar before you can buy the license.

The seminar is required by the Federal Food and Drug Administration and replaces the two hour course that first time oyster harvesters had to take in previous years.

The seminar is being offered on Monday beginning at 8:30 AM at the old Estuarine Reserve facility at Scipio Creek in Apalachicola.

The licenses are being sold in the same building to make the process move more smoothly.

http://live.oysterradio.com/