The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has announced an additional public workshop to collect feedback on proposed regulations for commercial and recreational oyster harvesting. The new session will take place on October 14 in Bronson at the Dogan S. Cobb Municipal Building from 6 to 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
The FWC’s proposed rules focus on Apalachicola Bay, addressing topics such as licensing requirements for both commercial and recreational harvesters, annual harvest levels, bag limits, harvest seasons, reporting obligations, and designated landing locations. The proposals also include changes that would apply statewide, including updates to culling requirements, size limit tolerances, and general rule clarifications.
In addition to the newly scheduled Bronson meeting, previously planned workshops are set for September 30 at the County Commission Meeting Room in Apalachicola and October 7 at Chapman Auditorium in Apalachicola. More details about these sessions can be found on the FWC Marine Fisheries Workshops page: https://myfwc.com/about/inside-fwc/meetings/marine-workshops/.
Individuals unable to attend any of the workshops may submit their comments through the FWC Saltwater Public Comments page or by emailing Marine@MyFWC.com. According to the FWC, "Your feedback will inform staff’s recommendation for final rules for oyster management in Apalachicola Bay and statewide that the Commission will consider at their November 2025 meeting."
For further questions or information about the workshops or proposed rules, interested parties can contact FWC staff at 850-487-0554 or Marine@MyFWC.com.