Richard Denlinger remembers a Florida where family fishing trips were part of growing up, fresh seafood was a treat worth bringing home, and buying a bucket of oysters could become a tradition.
“I love oysters. I love to eat them,” said Denlinger, who has lived in Pinellas County for more than 60 years. “Used to, every year, go through Apalachicola River basin and buy a bucket or two and bring them with us home when we’re going through.”
But the oyster fishery he remembers eventually collapsed…