Franklin County Seafood Workers Association calls emergency meeting for Friday

                The Franklin County Seafood Workers Association has called an emergency meeting for Friday evening to discuss whether to make an official request to close the Apalachicola Bay.

The meeting will be held at 6 PM on Friday at the Franklin County Courthouse Annex in Apalachicola.

Seafood Workers Association President Shannon Hartsfield told county commissioners on Tuesday that the he feels that there is no way for the Bay to heal unless it is closed to oyster harvesting for an extended period.

Mister Hartsfield said leaving the bay open is making the situation worse.

He said this year is already worse than last year and what oystermen are harvesting now is next year’s crop and next year there won’t be anything left to harvest.

Shannon said if the Seafood workers agree to request a bay closure that he will go wide open to have it shut down.

The biggest concern is how to help the oystermen who will be hardest hit if the bay is closed.

When the bay was closed in the mid-1980’s after hurricanes hit the area there was unemployment assistance available because NOAA declared this a natural disaster.

Alan Pierce said that’s not likely to happen in this case because this is not considered a natural disaster, even though the Apalachicola Bay oyster industry was declared a fishery disaster by the US Department of Commerce in 2013.

Commissioner Noah Lockley said at least people are making some money – if you close the bay they won’t make anything.

Mister Hartsfield said most of the oystermen aren’t even making enough to pay their bills now – they are basically working to make grocery money for tonight.

If you do work in the seafood industry, you are urged to attend the meeting.

Again it will be on Friday afternoon at 6 at the Franklin County Courthouse Annex in Apalachicola.

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