Wakulla county oystermen seek fair treatment from state regulators

Oystermen in Wakulla County say they are not being treated fairly by the state and will ask their county commission to address the problem.

The Wakulla Commercial Fishermen’s Association said it will seek support from Wakulla County commissioners for fairness from state regulators who impose stricter limits on oystering in Wakulla County then they do in neighboring Franklin County.

The group said a prime example of the problem is at the mouth of Ochlockonee Bay where the state has closed the waters for oyster harvesting on the Wakulla County side of the bay while the waters are open on the Franklin County side of the bay.

Keith Ward, president of the Fishermen’s Association, said “Wakulla’s commercial fishermen can’t compete with Franklin County as long as the state closes our waters while keeping Franklin’s open.”

The group says there are many other areas that they feel are unfairly closed for harvesting oysters in Wakulla County including Old Creek, Purify, the mouth of St. Marks River and the basin of Wakulla Beach.

The group will hold a workshop with the Wakulla county commission this afternoon to discuss the issue.

The group also plans to ask commissioners to address problems they say were created by submerged land leases approved by the Florida cabinet in 2014.

They say the oyster leases hinder crabbing and mullet fishing off Hopkins Island and Spanish Channel where commercial fishermen have worked for generations.

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