Pew Supports Temporary Halt to Wild Oyster Harvesting in Florida’s Apalachicola Bay

Suspension would give reefs time to recover and managers an opportunity to plan for future oystering

Speeches and Testimony July 10, 2020 Read time:

Projects: Conserving Marine Life in the United States

On July 10, 2020, The Pew Charitable Trusts submitted a letter to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in support of pausing wild oyster harvesting in Apalachicola Bay through 2025.

The famous Apalachicola Bay oysters once accounted for approximately 90% of all harvested oysters in Florida and 10% in the United States. But changes in water salinity, habitat loss, overfishing, and other problems decimated their populations.

A suspension will help protect what is left of the wild oyster reefs so they have a chance to repopulate while also providing managers, scientists, and stakeholders time to fully develop a recovery plan.