Apalachicola, Fla. — Just about every oysterman putting a wooden skiff in the water last week agreed with Florida Gov. Rick Scott: Georgia — Atlanta in particular — is to blame for the economic and environmental devastation of the once-bountiful bay.
Tuesday, Scott visited this picturesque fishing village to announce his plan for ending the water wars that have plagued Georgia, Florida and Alabama for nearly a quarter century. Scott will ask the nation’s highest court to stop Georgia from siphoning off water that otherwise would be flowing into Apalachicola, an area that accounts for 90 percent of the Sunshine State’s lucrative oyster industry.
But Florida doesn’t need to look 340 miles due north to Atlanta for the source of its problems. Some of the blame, many say, is of its own making.
As drought raged in recent years, Florida agencies allowed more oystermen to fish more days, even after the danger of over-harvesting became apparent. Officials didn’t crack down on oyster poaching and the illegal harvesting of too-young oysters, according to interviews with oystermen, environmentalists and others. The harvest is down 60 percent over the last year.
The latest legal skirmish between the states targets metro Atlanta’s future economic growth. It also highlights the complex, ever-fraught relationship among states when it comes to crucial water resources.
While the states fight it out, oystermen have decided to take matters into their own hands. Angered by lax oversight by Florida regulators, the oystermen are creating a long-term survival plan for the bay.
via Enough blame to go around for decline of Florida’s oyster… | www.myajc.com.
Comments ( 0 )