Dive Brief:
- Apalachicola, FL, is currently under duress with a floundering oyster industry that went from being a significant economic driver for the city to seeing a decline in its annual harvest.
- Threats to the Apalachicola oyster industry include "water-flow issues, environmental concerns, health and safety regulations and economic realities," the Associated Press reports.
- After the BP oil spill, which did not directly affect the Apalachicola Bay area, overharvesting of oysters in the bay also contributed to the city's current situation.
Dive Insight:
In 2011, Atlanta courts ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers could supply Atlanta with more water from federal reservoir Lake Lanier. With Georgia using more water due to both the ruling and a drought, Apalachicola Bay continued to lose the water supply needed to sustain its previously massive oyster harvest.