Coverage of National Fish and Wildlife Foundation contract with FL FWC

WMBB has covered the NFWF project outreach in Apalachicola, including several quotations from EGH professor Dr. Andrew Kane. See the two articles below.

 

Special Report: Edge of Extinction 

The oyster industry has been the foundation of Apalachicola’s economy for more than a century. But is that way of life coming to an end? It appears the oyster beds are having a difficult time rebounding from a devastating kill in 2012.
Used to be when someone said the word “Apalachicola”, the next word out of their mouths was “oysters”. The town was so famous for the delicacy, some of the world’s finest restaurants advertised them by name. The oyster industry’s problems actually began 30 years ago, when the city of Atlanta began siphoning water out of Lake Lanier.
“Flow from the Apalachicola river from the basin upstream is lower than it has been historically anyway. Under periods of drought, that flow can be reduced even further, and that leads to very high salinities that can not only be counterproductive for the oyster reefs but can also enhance the presence and numbers of the oyster predators that can also decimate the reefs,” said Andy Kane, UF Assistant Professor of Environmental and Global Health
Read the full article at mypanhandle.com
Oyster Restoration Research Project Underway in Apalachicola Bay
Researchers from the University of Florida along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission are in year two of a five year Oyster Restoration Research Project in the city of Apalachicola. Officials and researchers gave an update Tuesday on the progress of the study. The project looks at the oyster health, productivity, reef structure, and water quality of the oyster industry in Apalachicola. About 50 people showed up to the twice yearly meeting to hear what scientists and researchers had to say about the results of the study.
Officials talked about the three different areas of the bay they are focusing on. They say they have seen healthy oyster results so far in some project areas, but plan to continue monitoring the beds to learn more. Associate Professor of Environmental and Global Health at the University of Florida, Andy Kane, says moving forward they the hope the study will make a long term difference in the Apalachicola Bay.
“The goal of the study is to try to optimize management strategies to be able to support productivity in Apalachicola Bay including it’s oyster fishery,” said Kane.
The project is being funded through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
For the full article and video, click here.