History

The Apalachicola oyster industry began in the later part of the 19th century. Some milesones in the industry are as follows [1,2,3]:

1800 -- Apalachicola recognized as a major port.

1851 -- Dr. John Gorrie is granted a U.S. Patent for mechanical refrigeration.

1896 -- Three oyster-canning factories shipped 50,000 cans of oysters each day.

1907 -- The Apalachicola Northern Railroad began taking oysters all over the country.

1995 -- A gear restriction amendment was passed adversely affecting the seafood industry.

1997 -- 1.4 million pounds of oysters were shucked in Franklin county seafood houses.

Economics

Historical data on the economic performance of the oyester industry from 1950 to 1974 is given in William et al., 1974,pp 132-134. According to those data, in the year 1973 the Apalachicola oyester industry (Franklin county) was valued at $1.35 million which was approximately 87% of the total Florida income from theoyester industry [4]. As early as 1949, the state was involved in restocking oyster shell into the bay to create new oyster bars.

Today the industry is valued at approximately $10-14 million which accounts for 90% of the Florida supply and 10-15% of the nation's supply [5]. There are about 1,200 licensed harvesters and 25 processing housed in the Apalachicola area. About 3 million pounds of oyster meat was landed in the state last year, about 10 percent of the national harvest. Within Franklin county, oysters make up almost one-third the value of commercial marine landings. Texas and Louisiana are bigger oyster producers and could make up the difference if the Florida industry fades [6]. 

There are three major types of shrimp harvested from the waters in and around Apalachicola Bay; white, brown and pink shrimp. Apalachicola Bay shrimpers average more than a million pounds per year, nearly 20% of the State's shrimp supply.

Biological significance

Apalachicola Bay is one of the most productive estuarine systems on the world.  The nutrient-rich Apalachicola Chattachoochee-Flint river system initiates  the complex network of food chains in our bay.  The environmental conditions present make it the perfect feeding, breeding and nursery ground for an abundance of tasty animals, hence our world famous seafood industry [7]. 

On an average the annual commercial harvest produces enough oyster meat to cover a football field three feet deep. Currently only 5% of the bay bottom produces oysters. Research has shown that by making use of unproductive bay bottom by planting shell and aquaculture efforts that we could produce at least 25 times as many oysters as we do now [7].

The Bay is carefully monitored and managed by the FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure the health and productivity of the oyster beds.

Primary issues

The principal threats to the industry is from water upstream storage and withdrawals, as well as navigation-related activities. The biological productivity of the bay is strongly influenced by the amount, timing, and duration of the freshwater inflow. The Apalachicola rive provides the essential nutrients that form the base for the food web in the bay. Any alteration of  flow in the watershed disrupts the nutrient inputs of the ecosystem.

Extreme hydrologic activity associated with hurricanes also has severe effects on oyster reefs in the Apalachicola bay. (e.g., hurricane Elena in 1985).

Rapid land development and tourism in the Apalachicola region have negative contributions to the natural quality of estuary.

Furhter information [8]

Florida’s Gulf Coast oyster industry is based on the highly preferred American or Eastern oysters, also known by its scientific name Crassostrea virginica. This species is the principle oyster harvested commercially along both the Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern Seaboard and can be found from Canada to Campeche. Like all oysters, Apalachicola Bay oysters are mollusks; two shells or valves protect their soft bodies, so they are called bivalves. They are tolerant and hardy creatures, which can endure a myriad of environmental conditions.

Apalachicola Bay encompasses the waters of St. George Sound and St. Vincent Sound, which provide an ideal environment for oysters. This 210 squares mile estuary is wide and shallow averaging between six and nine feet deep at low tide. The estuary is dominated by the Apalachicola River, which provides nutrient rich fresh waters vital to the Bay’s natural productivity. Oysters grow rapidly in these waters reaching marketable size in less than two years. Apalachicola Bay produces some of the nation’s highest quality seafood.

Oystermen harvest oysters in Franklin County from more than 7,000 acres of public oyster “bars” and about 600 acres of private leased bars in the Apalachicola Bay. Public bars are divided into “winter” bars, which are harvested from October through June each year and the “summer” bars which are harvested from July through September.  Tongers (traditionally called “oystermen”) harvest the oysters today in the same manner they have for a century. From small wooden boats 20-23 feet long, using tongs that look somewhat like two rakes attached in scissor- style the oystermen bring the oysters to the surface.

The oysters are brought on board and sorted on a culling board where they are separated by size. Oysters must be at least three inches in length to be considered legally harvestable. The oysters are then stored in burlap bags and shaded until they reach the shore. On shore, the seafood houses employ “housemen” who sort the oysters and package them for sale either in bags or boxes, or send them to be shucked, washed and sold in pints or gallons.

[1]  http://www.apalachicolabay.org/index.cfm/pageid/53/fuseAction/contentpage.main/detailID/78

[2] http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/20/eveningnews/main3528550.shtml

[3] http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/6367/oyster-havest-resumes-in-apalachicola

[4] http://www.floridamarine.org/engine/download_redirection_process.asp?file=77whitfield-f_3934.pdf&objid=35476&dltype=publication

[5] http://www.fl-seafood.com/apalachicola.htm

[6] http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/26/me-florida-oyster-culture-strained/

[7] http://www.cityofapalachicola.com/ApalachicolaBaySeafood.cfm

[8] http://www.apalachicolabay.org/index.cfm/pageid/53/fuseAction/contentpage.main/detailID/78