WAKULLA COUNTY, FL — Wakulla County has been in a severe drought for months, and for the area's oyster farmers, the effects are both a blessing and a burden.
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With little to no freshwater runoff reaching the bay from rain, water salinity levels have climbed well above normal. According to the FSU Coastal and Marine Lab's real-time and continuous seawater monitoring system, salinity in Oyster Bay is currently sitting at about 33 parts per thousand. Cainnon Greg with Pelican Oyster Co. said the average for that area is about 24 parts per thousand.
The saltier water is changing the flavor of the oysters themselves.
"What we're seeing is there's a lot more salt in the water, obviously. So that flavor profile of a saltier oyster, those oysters are taking on that characteristic — our chefs, the restaurants that buy the oysters, our customers are loving it," Greg said.
Greg added that many customers are embracing the saltier taste, making it a rare upside to the drought conditions.
But the higher salinity also comes with serious risks. Oyster predators thrive in saltier water, and according to Dewey Houck, owner of Cypress Point Oyster Co., those predators can be especially difficult to detect.
"Often we don't know that we got a problem until weeks or maybe even months later, because these things are slow growing parasites like oyster drills or oyster spine and so. So that's the reason why it's a different kind of problem that we have with drought," Houck said.
To combat predators and biofouling, oyster farmers air dry their bags, allowing the oysters to spend time out of the water once a week.
Both Greg and Houck said they hope drought conditions improve.
"Aquaculture, including oysters and shellfish, is a significant part of Florida's agricultural industry," said Houck.
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