Oyster Harvesting in Apalachicola Bay - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

"The harvesting of Oysters in Aalachicola Bay has taken place since the first Indians settled in the area. Evidence of this is found in mounds that were left behind scattered throughout Franklin County. Oysters were first harvested commercially around 1850; fishermen would sail or rwo to the Oyster beds and return to port with their loaded boat. This practice continued until gasoline engines were adopted, at which time the sailboat was abandoned and the boat design changed. Oyster harvesting reached a peak in 1981 with approximately 6.6 million pounds of shellfish landed. In 1985 hurricanes Elena and Kate hit the area and covered the Oyster beds with sand and silt, almost wiping out the shellfish resources of the bay. Recovery has been a slow process due to the effect of later hurricanes and periods of extended drought. An adequate flow of freshwater coming down the Apalachicola river is essential to maintain the proper mix of fresh and salt water. Many of the Oyster beds have had empty shells placed on them or have been “plated” to aid in recovery. This gives the Oyster larvae, known as Spat the kind of surface on which they need to settle and grow. Many new Oysters beds have also been created through this same process. Since 1985 the landings have decreased by over 60%, bottoming out 1.4 million pounds in 1996 with increases to 2.5 million pounds by 2000. Apalachicola Bay provides 90% of the Oysters harvested in Florida and 10% for all of the United States."

Group that erected the marker: State Park Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 1900 E. Gulf Beach Drive St. George Island, FL USA 32328 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   03/08/2018 Saxo-fun visited it