Apalachicola seafood industry wary but not worried about red tide

Trace amounts of red tide, which is now present on all three of Florida’s coastlines, have crept into the easternmost portions of Gulf County.

With Apalachicola Bay so near, some seafood distributors are worried that its presence or a shift into the area could cut into an already struggling industry.

“When something like that happens, it kills an awful lot of fish and creates issues,” said Franklin County Seafood Workers Association President Shannon Hartsfield. “I just don’t know if it’s going to make it into our bay. We’re hoping it doesn’t.”

Hartsfield said a sustained east wind has kept the poisonous algae bloom to the west. Apalachicola Bay’s strong tides have also kept red tide out at sea.

The difference between red tide and blue-green algae

It’s been about 15 years since red tide hit Apalachicola Bay. Hartsfield was oystering then. The state closed oyster harvesting due to an increase in bacteria in the water so he moved to shrimp, which are not affected by the bloom.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has found red tide in low concentrations at Cape San Blas and inside Indian Lagoon just to the west of Apalachicola, according to its daily bulletins.

Medium amounts have been found in the Mexico Beach area, according to readings that measure the number of algae cells found in a liter of water.

FWC is predicting an eastward shift in the North Florida red tide, but most of it is expected to stay offshore.

See FWC's map of redtide-affected areas 

Red tide in the Gulf of Mexico on the southwest coast has spread over 135 miles from Pinellas to Collier counties. It was observed in medium and low concentrations along the east coast from Martin County to north Miami-Dade County.

Beaches along the southern Atlantic coast closed briefly this week but most have since re-opened.

The dozen or so oyster harvesters are already struggling to pull in enough of the shellfish to make a living. Most are taking about 60 to 90 pounds a day, Hartsfield said. The party bag — two to three dozen oysters — has become a staple, going for $1 a pound.

While some of the oyster harvesters who depend on the availability of shellfish to make a living are worried, it has been a good summer for tourism along the Forgotten Coast. That means more people are seeking out the seafood that has made the region culinarily famous.

Over the past decade, the area has seen a sharp decline in the seafood industry because of factors such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, overharvesting of oysters and declining freshwater flows from the north.

“We don’t have much of any oystering industry anymore because of the issue of lack of fresh water,” Hartsfield said. “But you have a couple oystermen that are making a go at it. We’re waiting to see what comes from the fall season. It's looking a little more promising.”

Lynn Martina sells mostly farmed oysters on the half shell at her raw bar in Eastpoint. Red tide hasn’t been a huge topic of conversation with her customers.

“So far, we don’t have anything to talk about,” Martina said. “Thank goodness.”

Her oysters are coming from Alligator Harbor about 30 miles to the east. She stopped buying oysters directly from Apalachicola Bay harvesters and selling wholesale like she used to.   

Martina said this summer has been a good one, with a lot of people coming through her doors. She’s not too concerned about the red tide, as long as it stays to the west.

“Hopefully, it won’t make it down that far,” she said. “We just kind of go with the flow.”

Headed to the coast? Check to see the conditions of your beach at visitbeaches.org, a website run by Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium.

Contact Karl Etters at ketters@tallahassee.com or @KarlEtters on Twitter.