After more than five years, the Apalachicola Bay is back open for recreational and commercial oyster harvesting.
In November, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved a limited reopening of the Apalachicola Bay, with a harvest season starting on Jan. 1.
Oystermen didn’t waste any time to get back on the bay to do what they know best.
They start by “tonging” the oysters from their oyster beds.
“So you put them on the bottom and you start working together and you get them close, you know, feel like you got something in it. Just pick them up, put them on the board,” Oysterman Wayne Williams said.
After bringing the oysters aboard their boat, oystermen begin the “culling” process, while making sure each oyster meets the three-inch minimum size requirements.
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