TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)--It takes a lot of work for oystermen to get prepared to get their main catch of the day.
But with boat troubles, oysterman Matt Hodges and Clark Nichols say it can be tough just getting out in the water
"Its all part of the job," said Hodges and Nichols.
Finding oysters in the troubled waters, which are still recovering from the Gulf oil spill three years ago.
"We had a great supply, that was the year that i established my oyster business," said Hodges.
Now that supply is drying out. The problem, oystermen are now prohibited from fishing in the skipper bay because of polluted water. Hodges has to travel more than 100 miles to Apalachicola Bay everyday.
"We got out there, and about 3 o'clock we had 2.5 bags of oysters on my boat and that equals negative $20 for that day," said Hodges.
But after adding up the cost to buy the oysters on top of gas money, their catch comes up empty.
"We've got 200 sea workers here and I can't think of 15 that has a job," said Hodges.
The oysters are the bread and butter for families here in Wakulla county but all they can do is toss them back in the water.
"I feel like I'm not only going to fail my family, I'm going to fail these other oystermen and their families," said Hodges.
"This bay is their livelihood and if they don't work in this bay they can't go to different place to look for jobs because there are no jobs," said Nichols.
Nichols and Hodges say they have the solution.
"We are asking for help to get these oysters out of closed water and put them to where they can be harvested within 30 days at the most," said Nichols.
Wakulla county commissioners say they're behind these oystermen 100-percent and are hoping B.P. funding will be released soon to help the hundreds of families.
"We have been forgotten," said Nichols.
The families there are now struggling, just trying to stay afloat.
"Putting my neck my family on the line..hoping that somebody is going to come down here and hoping somebody would bail us out," said Hodges.
