CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. (WTXL) — As we get closer to the partial reopening of Apalachicola Bay, we talked to local oystermen about what this change means for them.
- The bay will reopen for a limited time in January and February.
- Local oystermen we talked to say they are not concerned about the reopening, with some citing that the rules in place make it a bit tougher for the market to be oversaturated.
- Watch the video below to hear more about the impacts felt locally with oystermen coming in from out of state.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Oysters are part of the culture here in Wakulla County. With one of the most well-known oystering bays about to open in a few short weeks, the question is "How would that affect oystermen in Wakulla County?"
Local oystermen say it shouldn’t affect them, as there wouldn’t be enough to “flood the market.” Many oystermen, both wild and farm-raised, say that the reopening of the bay is a good thing for the area.
"There's just no other feeling than being out there working. So I'm looking forward to more people being out there on the water," said Reed Tilly, owner of Oyster Boss.
The FWC voted earlier this year to partially reopen the bay for a limited harvest in January and February.
After the vote on preliminary guidelines on August 14th, 2025, the FWC said in a press release that they wanted to get oystermen back out on the bay, but also continue the recovery in the bay.
"We want to be able to get as many boats back in the water as soon as possible, while supporting the bay's continued recovery and sustainability,” said FWC Commissioner Preston Farrior in the release.
Reed Tilly, the owner of Oyster Boss, isn’t worried about prices or sales going down due to the bay reopening. He says the current rules make the harvest itself very limited.
"I don't think there's going to be enough product. They're not going to allow enough product to come in to really saturate the market," explained Tilly.
He also says sales from local oystermen don’t really saturate the market; it’s the sales from oysters coming in from other states.
"We have out of state oyster issue. A lot of oysters have come in from out of state, which floods the market," said Tilly. "That's always been a problem, from Texas and Virginia, and they'll drive the price down some."
When I spoke with Cainnon Greg, the owner of Pelican Oyster Co., back in September, he shared the same sentiments as Tilly. He also explained that the markets between wild harvest and farm-raised are vastly different.
"When they had or didn't have oysters, we never really saw it connect or cross with the markets that we sell into," explained Cainnon Greg, owner of Pelican Oyster Co. "Typically, the traditionally harvested oysters and the agriculturally grown oysters are going to totally different restaurants, or they're distributed differently."
Tilly also explained that the start of each year is typically slower in business as people aren’t eating out as much after the holidays. So a decrease in sales wouldn’t be from the bay reopening.
Tilly says he’s considering getting a recreational license in the future, as he does love to wild harvest.
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