Dr. Sandra Brooke Guest Columnist In 2013, the Apalachicola Bay wild oyster fishery was declared a federal fishery disaster, which precipitated significant funding for research and restoration. Despite these efforts, monitoring data collected from historic oyster bars and several cultching (shelling) projects across the bay show that oyster populations are still very depleted.
Subtidal tonging surveys have concluded, and preliminary results show more oysters (mostly juveniles) on the east side of the Bay during 2021-22 than the previous year, but fewer on the west side than in 2021. Read more...
The ABSI core research team is halfway through another season of subtidal oyster sampling (tonging). The data collected will contribute to understanding of wild oyster presence/absence, density, and size class across Apalachicola Bay. Read more...
Dr. Sandra Brooke authors article for Guy Harvey Magazine "Where Have All the Oysters Gone?" Read about the ABSI project, current research initiatives in Apalachicola Bay, and the causes of decline of oysters worldwide.
Emily White, a high school junior from Peachtree City, Georgia, developed a passion for the ocean and marine conservation at a young age, especially after visiting Apalachicola in 2018 on a field trip lead by her Dad, the science coordinator for Coweta County Schools. What struck Emily the most about the Apalachicola Bay region was the respect and relationship between the local community and the Bay. “You have this really rich Bay environment that also supports the people of the town…some people don’t understand the direct connection between their environments and their livelihoods so it was really cool to see this entire community of people who really understand that.”
The effort to help Florida’s troubled Apalachicola Bay and its famous oysters cleared a key hurdle on November 16th. The Apalachicola Bay System Initiative (ABSI) Community Advisory Board (CAB) unanimously adopted the framework document for the Apalachicola Bay System (ABS) Ecosystem-Based Adaptive Management and Restoration Plan (the Plan). Members of the CAB represent stakeholders whose lives are inextricably tied to the health of the Apalachicola Bay System, businesses that depend on the economic stability of the county, and the agencies responsible for the management and conservation of the region.
ABSI researchers are continuing to monitor and analyze the experimental restoration reef plots and cages for larval recruitment, oyster growth, and oyster survival. Preliminary results are still being analyzed, but will shared with the public once finalized. Read more...
A group of Florida State University researchers is studying Apalachicola Bay's declining ecosystem and oyster reefs. They're called the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative. Earlier this year, the group put oyster shells and limestone into the Bay's waters as part of an experiment. Sandra Brooke is the Initiative's Principal Investigator. She says the experiment is showing a promising sign—baby oysters are settling all over the materials they've set out.
Scientists with the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative, formed under the guidance of Florida State University, are conducting research to identify the best options for improving the bay’s health and developing strategies to restore oyster fishing. The initiative involves commercial seafood harvesters and dealers, recreational guides and anglers, aquaculture business owners, and representatives from state natural resource agencies, businesses, local governments, and nongovernmental organizations such as The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Restoring Apalachicola Oysters - Community can help shape new management plans to restore the Bay. Read the "Op-Ed" submitted to The Wakulla Times by CAB member, Chad Hanson
