More bad news for Apalachicola Bay and oyster fishermen whose families depend on it.
In a meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) in Kissimmee on Wednesday, Executive Director Nick Wiley told members of the commission, "complete closure of the Apalachicola oyster harvest" could be around the corner.
Closure would affect thousands of jobs in an already distressed Florida industry.
Everything hinges on whether the new winter oyster-harvesting rules, which went into effect Sept. 1, are successful, Wiley said. "We want to take (closure) very carefully, and only do it if everybody feels that's what we have to do." But, he admitted, the state ofApalachicola Bay hasn't improved much over the past year.
In August the FWC implemented strict conservation measures in an effort to help the bay's oyster population recover from the effects of low river flow.
Apalachicola Bay oysters have significantly declined in recent years, not only because of overharvesting, but because of a lack of sufficient freshwater flows in the Apalachicola River. Scientists say the culprit in freshwater decline is the reduction in water siphoned off from the river in Georgia.
The new suite of conservation measures, from closing certain commercial and recreational areas to lowering the number of oysters individuals can harvest, enhances the ones FWC put into place for the 2013 winter and 2014 summer seasons.
Since 1990, control of water in the river system shared by Florida, Georgia and Alabama has been the subject of lengthy litigation. Last fall, Gov. Rick Scott announced a new lawsuit against Georgia in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Wiley has cautioned not to look for "a bright recovery" in the bay until the water flow issue is resolved. The region has been listed as a declared fishery resource disaster by the federal government since August 2013. Since then, Wiley said again, conditions have only worsened.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
