TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) \u2014 North Florida’s Apalachicola Bay will reopen for wild oyster harvesting, a move that supporters hope will breathe life into one of the last historic working waterfronts in a state where much of the picturesque coastline has long given way to high-rise condos and strip mall souvenir shops.<\/p>\n
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the plan Wednesday to reopen the bay for a limited oyster season on Jan. 1, 2026, five years after the waters that had been nationally known for the sweet, plump shellfish were closed because of dwindling populations.<\/p>\n
The closure of the bay<\/a> along what is known as Florida\u2019s \u201cForgotten Coast\u201d dealt a blow to an area that historically produced 90% of the state\u2019s oysters and 10% of the nation\u2019s supply.<\/p>\n Apalachicola oysters were iconic, comparable to Maine lobster and Maryland blue crabs, and their loss marked another sign that a way of life for generations of commercial fishermen is disappearing along with their harvest.<\/p>\n The once-booming oyster industry is part of the lifeblood of the town of Apalachicola, which in the 1800s became the third-largest port on the Gulf of Mexico, trailing only New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama.<\/p>\n Many oystermen haven’t adjusted well to being forced off the water and into \u201cland jobs” like construction and landscaping, said Wayne Williams, president of the area\u2019s Seafood Work & Watermen\u2019s Association.<\/p>\n \u201cYou go from a boat captain to cutting somebody\u2019s grass. You know, that\u2019s a pretty big change,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n Over the years, waves of drought and the water demands of metro Atlanta<\/a> and farmers upstream<\/a> have sapped the Apalachicola River and the bay it flows into \u2014 sparking a protracted legal fight known as the \u201cwater wars\u201d that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately sided with Georgia.<\/p>\n