Oyster harvesting on the Apalachicola Bay will end on Saturday as a 5 year harvesting moratorium takes effect

Oyster harvesting on the Apalachicola Bay will end on Saturday as a 5 year harvesting moratorium takes effect.

The moratorium was approved this month by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in an effort to help restore the wild oyster population in the Bay.

The rule also prohibits the possession of oyster tongs or other oyster harvesting equipment on the water.

The rule does not affect perpetual leases or aquaculture.

There is a five-year sunset provision in the rule, but if monitoring finds at least 300 bags of harvestable-sized oysters in a significant portion of the Bay, the bay could reopen sooner.

The move was supported by a number of groups including many seafood workers, though oyster harvesters have expressed concerns about what the state of the oysters will be in 5 years if the bars are not worked regularly.

The Apalachicola Bay once produced 90% of Florida’s commercial oyster harvest.

The oyster industry in Apalachicola collapsed in 2012 leading to a Commercial Fisheries Disaster Declaration from the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2013. 

The dockside value of wild oysters harvested from Apalachicola Bay has declined by 98 percent since 2012.

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