fishery disaster for Florida's oyster industry

[wevans]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Federal officials are declaring a fishery disaster for Florida's oyster industry in the Gulf of Mexico.

The declaration by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce sets the stage for possible help from the federal government if Congress approves it. That aid could include economic assistance to fishing businesses and communities, including oyster fishermen.

The announcement comes a day before both U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson are scheduled to be in Apalachicola for a field hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee. The committee will take testimony about the impact of water flows in Apalachicola Bay.

The collapse of the oyster industry last year followed a drought that reduced freshwater into the bay. But state officials have also blamed the lack of freshwater flow due to increased consumption in Georgia.
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/Comme ... 17731.html

[SS-342]

Sounds about as bad as trying to FARM!

I know the rain this year has impacted the fishing industry and they all need help.

[Barhopr]

I guess harvesting the oysters at an unsustainable level following DeepWater Horizon didn't factor into there being a collapse in population in the following years?
All natural resources must be managed for sustainability not the demand for the product or by how many families make their living doing it. If the level of sustainable harvest will only support "x" you can not expect it to support "x" + and still remain a viable resource. When you make your living off of mother nature sometimes you have good years and sometimes you don't. I believe that even if the water flows would have been what the River Keeper says they should be, the oyster population in the bay would have meet the same fate. After deepwater horizon it was katie-bar-the-door, lets get all the oyster we can before the oil gets here, and the River Keeper never said a peep. Year after year of starting the season early with reports of the bars bursting with oysters only to have reports of the bars being nearly depleted by season end...all due to low water flows...give me a break, please. They over harvested the bars to make what they could make after deepwater thinking it was to be their last opportunity to make any money, with no regard for the years to come should the oil never get to the bay. The industry and those that run it, have crapped were they eat and now don't like the taste of it. Just my 2cents.

[reelhandy]

My belly finds this news to be disturbing.

[SS-342]

I suppose I was thinking of everyone involved with the gulf marine industry. We had many days of rain in July with a lot of water draining off the land into the gulf. This has effected the inshore fish bite and the number of fishing days have been reduced before and after the rain. I am sure this has reduced the amount of money everyone depending of the marine industry has made.

As to entitlements made by the Federal Government to those hardiest hit is anyone's call. Here again I was thinking of all the foreign aid given by Uncle Sam. Just last night I heard a long discussion of some countries wanting CASH instead of FOOD. Then again maybe that would be more convenient!

Personally, I had rather see our oystermen get help than sending aid to countries that hate the USA.

[Scoop Sea]

Barhopr, IMHO, there's a lot of truth in your theory of "getting all you can, while you can" and that contributed to the situation at hand. I also agree with SS, we should give aid in the US ahead of other Countries. Once again, that's just one man's opinion.

[captkeyser]

You have to remember that at the time of the spill, things looked pretty bleak for our coastline. I definitely don't agree with over harvesting in most situations, but this one was a bit unique. Turns out we were fortunate not to have been affected by the oil, things could have been a lot worse. The oyster population will come back. In the big scheme of things we have been lucky in my opinion. I have spoken with some folks in the know and they say that the oil is still there, let's hope it stays "there." Just thinking through my fingers.

[mjsigns]

At least farmers have "crop insurance". This pays off if your crops die due to lack of rain or insects or disease. I don't think "Oyster-men" have that kind of insurance avaialble. Please correct me if I am wrong on this, but that is my understanding. It may be a catastrophy today, but ...“Life will find a way.”
― Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park

[SS-342]

There is no insurance for cattlemen but I didn't ask the government if I could raise cattle. I've seen some bad years in my time but wouldn't trade my life for anything else I know.

[MudDucker]

At least farmers have "crop insurance". This pays off if your crops die due to lack of rain or insects or disease. I don't think "Oyster-men" have that kind of insurance avaialble. Please correct me if I am wrong on this, but that is my understanding. It may be a catastrophy today, but ...“Life will find a way.”
― Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park

I love oysters and I think oyster gathers have a tough job, but we have to remember is that unlike farmers, they don't have to purchase the land their crop is raised on, instead, their investment is their boat and gathering equipment. One good tractor cost way way more than one good oyster boat. Farmer's purchase crop insurance.

I am not for the government paying anyone any of the tax money they force ably take from me, but if it is going to pay, I would prefer it be spent inside the US rather than given to radical muslims who hate us.

[JeffB]

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/201 ... -tonsmeire

This was in a thread on the other forum. Goes along with what is being discussed here.

[MudDucker]

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/201 ... -tonsmeire

This was in a thread on the other forum. Goes along with what is being discussed here.

Good luck Rick. There is already a pending suit and at the last appeals level, Florida and Bammer lost.

[KYFRED]

Brhoper is dead on. When the oysterman were allowed to pull small oysters as a result of teh oil spill, the resource dropped and it will take several yers to bounce back. The spat have fewer places to take hold and there are fewer oysters at maturity. It is survivable, but you need to address teh size of what is being harvested.

[Pirate]

Dumb question, but isn't some (govt) group supposed to regulate the oysters as the fish limits are regulated. If the oysters are collapsing somebody needs to be fired if they are drawing a salary to regulate the industry.

[Barhopr]

I would like to see some historical data from the Dept of Ag. on the real volume of oysters that have come out of the bay over the last 20 years.
Also, What happens if/when the River Keeper gets what it wants and there is 100% unrestricted flow of the Flint and Chattahoochee rivers from North Georgia to the Bay? I tell you what will happen.....Every town from Apalach to Albany will experience devastating floods on a regular basis. Those same towns will see all of those rivers nearly dry up during severe droughts because the Corps no longer will have the capability to regulate the flow and smooth out the peaks and valleys of the flood/drought cycles.
Some of you may say I'm over reacting by claiming the River Keeper organization would ever think to have unrestricted flow down the entire chain.....that would mean the removal of the dams that are in place or bypassing them through always open locks. I urge you to research the River Keeper organization on a national level. Doing so, you will find, among other things, that the "National" River Keeper organization prides itself on being dam breakers in order to get waterways back to the natural flows that mother nature intended.

Stay with me here.
The Apalachicola River Keeper nor the Flint River Keeper will ever say publicly that part of their goal is to have any dam removed, however, the policies they are pushing would in effect and at least for one dam ( Woodruff on Seminole) actually collapse the whole dam structure. Woodruff dam on Seminole is designed so that it requires pressure from both side of the dam to stay upright. There is a range of what is called "headroom" between the upriver and downriver side that has to be maintained at all times or the structure could become unstable. This is the reason that Seminole can not be drawn down like many other lakes. If the down stream water level is dropped too far, say to natural flow level, the entire structure would/could collapse and Lake Seminole would revert to basically a muddy ditch. See what they did there? If that happens what is to become of the fish and wildlife in and around Lake Seminole? The Lake at it's ecosystem of out lying lakes, ponds and creeks would collapse. Are not the fish and wildlife population of Lake Seminole as important as the one in Apalach?
Some would say that the fish and wildlife of the Lake are all there artificially and draw the short straw when it come to the so called "Natural" ecosystem of the Bay. I say that the Bay could never support the amounts of oysters that industry wants to pull out of the bay and be sustainable.
The time has come when the demand for Apalach oysters has outpaced the Bay's ability to produce what is asked of it. I think much of the blame can be put squarely on those that manage the resource. I go back to my original statement that I would like to see some real historical data on the oyster harvest in the Bay, I'm sure it would be enlightening.