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Maritime Heritage Background
Working the Water
 
 
In 1920, the Oyster Growers’ Co-operative was established in Apalachicola to plant, harvest, and process oysters. Today’s “tongers” (fishers who collect oysters) still work as they have for a century. From small wooden boats, 20 to 23 feet long, they use tongs that resemble two rakes attached like scissors to haul in the oysters. The shellfish are sorted and stored in burlap bags until they reach seafood houses, where “housemen” grade and package them. Since 1920, an estimated 750 acres of oyster bars have been constructed. More than 1,000 people are employed by the million-dollar industry in Franklin County, which produces 90 percent of Florida’s oysters and 10 percent of the national supply.
 
Caviar was canned in towns like Sopchoppy in the 1930s. Spring runs of sturgeon would mass in the bays before spawning upriver. Captain Anderson and his crew once caught 70 sturgeon in 24 hours. The construction of dams upriver ended this industry.
 
In 1993, an amendment to Florida’s constitution imposed restrictions on commercial net fishing in state waters, and for many fishing families, this ended their traditional way of life. Some turned to using smaller mesh or cast nets, while others shifted to crabbing or clam farming. Lawsuits filed by fishermen relating to the amendment are still in Florida courts.
Think about the environment
Oyster bars (colonies of oysters) thrive where the salinity is between 15 and 30 parts per thousand. They can’t survive in fresh water, and in saltier water, they are attacked by predators and diseases. Oyster bars provide a habitat for a multitude of invertebrates and fish. At low tide, shorebirds, wading birds, raccoons, and even bears help themselves.
 
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