Bad news for Apalachicola oysters continues

Apalachicola oysters are not currently offered on the menu most places

Drought sucks.

In a real sense, drought cuts freshwater supplies dry.  (Or drier, at least.)

In the case of Apalachicola Bay, Florida, there is a delicate balance between fresh and saltwater.  It is in this delicate balance that the tasty Apalachicola Bay oysters thrive.

There has been an ongoing drought in the U.S. Southeast (obviously, there's some ongoing droughts elsewhere in the U.S.) that has restricted the vital water flow in the Apalachicola River that enters the bay.  And that has hurt the oysters bad. And they used to be 10% of the entire U.S. oyster crop.

A couple of articles about that are offered below.

U.S. thirst for freshwater threatens Apalachicola Bay fisheries

In 2009, Florida thought it had won the long battle. A senior Federal District Court judge ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers could not draw more water from Lake Lanier. The decision would have freed up more water for Florida. 

But in 2011, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta, reversed the ruling. It decided that the corps had the authority to allocate additional water from the reservoir to supply Atlanta. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case. 

The appeals court ruling, coupled with the drought, which forced Georgia to draw more water, has starved Apalachicola Bay, scientists and lawmakers said. “These levels are unprecedented,” said Dan Tonsmeire, the executive director of Apalachicola Riverkeeper, an environmental group. “The decline in the entire productivity of the bay is not only an ecological disaster but puts the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen at risk of being lost forever. And it’s not just Apalachicola Bay. It affects the entire Gulf Coast.”

Feds declare fishery disaster for Florida oysters

Nearly a year after the state first asked for help, federal officials are declaring a fishery disaster for Florida's oyster industry in the Gulf of Mexico.

The collapse of the oyster industry last year came after a drought reduced freshwater flowing into Apalachicola Bay. But state officials have also blamed the lack of freshwater flow due to increased consumption in Georgia.

Why bring this up?  Because it's a symptom of a greater problem - and the problem is that the natural order of things is being subverted a lot of different places because of the need and desire to keep humans happy.   When things get way out of balance, the things we take for granted (like nice plump oysters) will disappear.