Since 1970, oyster populations have declined by 90%, faced with new diseases, extreme weather, and increased exposure to predators. Despite increased threats, the oyster harvest rules in the Big Bend region have remained the same since 1991, until now.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, or FWC, hosted three Oyster Management and Regulation workshops sessions from August to September, gauging opinions on potential updates to oyster harvest rules in the Big Bend region. Climate change and other factors have caused declines in oyster populations off the Gulf Coast, prompting the FWC to seek updated regulations. But local harvesters have started to voice their concerns.
At its Sept. 3 meeting at the UF/IFAS Extension Levy County in Bronson, the FWC assessed attendees’ responses to a variety of options, including changes to the season, daily bag limits and license requirements. The commission hopes to implement uniform changes across the Big Bend region by 2027. FWC declined to be interviewed for this story, but offered a written statement.
“We cannot yet speak to what the updated oyster harvest regulations will look like, as we are still gathering feedback from stakeholders in the region and will be developing our recommendations based on the state of the resource using their input,” wrote Pebbles Causseaux, communications coordinator for the Division of Marine Fisheries Management…