While the waterways within the Pensacola and Perdido bays watershed appear to be holding their own against development and other forms of human encroachment, the region’s oyster beds, once an economic driver crucial to a healthy environment, remain on life support.
In its 2025 State of the Bays Report, the Pensacola and Perdido Bays Estuary Program listed the watershed’s oyster population “in critical condition.”
“While we have a number of aquaculture businesses that are doing quite well, the wild oyster harvest is non-existent,” said Matt Posner, executive director of the PPBEP. “That has both an economic impact and a wider impact on the health of the overall environment.”…