Chalk wrote:...there is no correlation between the Apalachicola river system and St Andrews bay system...
Evidently, St. Andrews Bay has had it's own problems which may be attributing to a decline in the red drum population there:
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund
Announcement date:
November 2014
Recipient: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Amount: $1,973,500
Location: Bay County, Florida
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FLORIDA
Oyster Reef Habitat Restoration in Saint Andrew Bay
The St. Andrew Bay estuary is unique both for its significant biological diversity and clear,
high-salinity waters in which submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) flourishes. West Bay,
the northwest arm of the estuary, has experienced a
variety of detrimental impacts over
many decades resulting in
significant loss of seagrass throughout this part of the system.
Improving water quality and clarity will allow for restoration and expansion of SAV, which
provide important nursery habitat benefits to a variety of commercially and recreationally
important fish and shellfish species; including, grey snapper, spotted sea trout, mullet,
grouper,
red drum, flounder, shrimp, blue crab and scallops.
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The Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation (NFWF), supports projects to remedy harm and eliminate or reduce the risk of
harm to Gulf Coast natural resources affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
To learn more about NFWF, go to
http://www.nfwf.org.