Oyster beds in Pensacola, Florida, dying off, local oystermen say

Andrew Rogers

PENSACOLA, Florida , October 31, 2011 (Associated Press) – State scientists are heading to Pensacola to check on East Bay oyster beds where oystermen are reporting a die-off.

Oyster season opened Oct. 1. Oystermen have reported pulling up dead oysters from beds that had been filled with large, healthy oysters at the end of the last harvest season on June 30.

One East Bay oyster supplier tells the Pensacola News Journal that his boats aren't even catching a hundred pounds when they should be catching 500 to 1,000 pounds of oysters.

Scientists from the Department of Agriculture's Division of Aquaculture will check the oyster beds this week.

The aquaculture division's director says an oyster die-off could be caused by drought, warmer than normal water temperatures or high salinity and low oxygen in the water.

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