Oysters: Ecosystem superstars and guardians of the coast

Wherever you find oysters growing, you know the health of the ecosystem is based upon their presence. Oysters filter up to 50 gallons of water per day, cleaning the water of murky contents, thereby allowing light to penetrate to the bottom. When sunlight reaches the bottom of a water body, important seagrasses thrive, providing shelter and food for numerous other aquatic species. Oyster beds, or as some call them, oyster bars, provide shoreline protection by buffering eroding tides and absorbing storm surge.

Oysters spawn freely, and once hatched, they are known as spat. When the spat is large enough, it will settle to the bottom and attach to its forever home. If they land on sand or mud they will likely be buried over time. If they land on solid bottom or another shell, they will grow generation after generation, forming large reefs or beds providing habitat for other fish and crustaceans. The downfall of the oyster industry has led to widespread loss of shoreline resiliency and contributes to the decline of major fisheries.

Rowan Jacobsen wrote "A Geography of Oysters - The Connoisseur’s Guide to Oyster Eating in North America." He reviews five species of oysters that are commercially harvested in the United States. The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica), native to the Atlantic shores, tends to be briny and buttery in taste. They are found from Maine to Texas. The Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) grows very large and has a mild, sweet flavor. Kumamotos (Crassostrea sikamea) are small with a deep cup and hints of cucumber and a creamy finish. The Olympia (Ostrea conchaphila), native to Pacific shores, is a tiny oyster, only about the size of a nickel and is described as coppery and smoky. The European Flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) has a copper-iron flavor with a tangy and briny personality. Each oyster has a distinct flavor that reflects water nutrients on which they feed, according to Jacobsen.

In Florida, there are very few places where one can legally harvest oysters for human consumption today. Historically, Apalachicola Bay produced 90% of the state of Florida’s oyster harvest and 10% of the nation’s oysters. However, five years ago, the Apalachicola Bay oyster industry was closed because of dwindling supply.

The state of Florida used a $20 million grant to help restore Apalachicola Bay. A lack of fresh water flowing into the bay from north Georgia upstream has affected the salinity level, on which oysters thrive. Thirty years ago, there were over 60 oyster processing plants in Apalachicola. Today there are two.

Just two weeks ago, the state of Florida announced that it will reopen Apalachicola Bay for wild oyster harvesting on Jan. 1, 2026. Wild oyster harvests will be limited in 2026 and 2027. If all goes well, the season will extend from October to February beginning in 2028.

Before the oyster industry in Apalachicola collapsed, I spent a long weekend touring the town and enjoying fresh shucked oysters. I also took the opportunity to photograph oyster harvesters hard at work. And let me tell you, they do work hard. Oysters are harvested by using tongs and dredges. Tongs are used off the side of a shallow water skiff and dredges are used by barge-like vessels for large-scale harvesting.

Local efforts to restore Amelia Island oyster beds were initiated in 2021 by the St. Marys Riverkeeper and students from the University of North Florida. Old beat-up crap traps were anchored along the shoreline in Old Town on Amelia Island’s north end. The hope is that tiny oysters will attach themselves to the crab traps and reestablish oyster beds to protect eroding shorelines.

In all, 70 crab traps were added to the shoreline. After two years, they showed significant oyster growth. Amelia Island Sailing Club volunteers helped UNF students with the placement of the traps, as instructed by UNF Professor Kelly Smith.

Living shorelines are made of natural materials that reduce coastline vulnerability to sea level rise and strong storm events, according to Smith. “They also prevent erosion, improve water quality, provide fish habitat, increase biodiversity and promote recreation,” said Smith. “Oysters are superstars in the world of living shorelines said St. Marys Riverkeeper, Emily Floore, in 2021 when the crab traps were installed. Other living shorelines have been installed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Division on Sapelo Island and Little St. Simons Island.

Just last week, I paid a visit to Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park in Old Town at low tide to see how the project was doing after four years. Many of the original traps are doing exactly as intended — they are providing a solid structure for oyster growth, trapping sediment, and stabilizing coastal land.

After thousands of years of local oyster consumption, Amelia Island coastal dwellers can’t harvest and consume them anymore. Gustav Gerbing owned and operated one of the last oyster packing houses on Amelia Island. Gerbing was forced to close his oyster packing house and restaurant due to decades of pollution dumped into the Amelia River.

At what point do we say enough is enough to pollution of our natural resources? How long are we going to allow industrial and urban pollution to contaminate public land, air and water held in trust for all? Do we, as the public, no longer have the right to clean air and clean water? Can we apply the Bert Harris Private Property Rights Protection Act to public property? Can politicians and industry be held accountable for the reduced usefulness of our water and air? I am asking for a friend.