There are farms at Indian Pass and around St. George Island, and maybe other spots that are growing and selling them. Still have 2-3 years before the wild beds open back up.

Why were they closed?

I read Apalachicola wild oysters are scheduled to reopen in 2025.

I think the numbers got too low for various reasons. Back during the oil spill they thought the oil would wipe them out so they allowed them to harvest as much as they could. Also, the ongoing dispute over the amount of water coming down the chattahochee from Atlanta. I think even now they are struggling with lack of proper environment for them to grow.

Hopefully but I think they are having issues with the reproduction process, lack of proper environment for reproduction and maybe some kind of disease or parasite that sterilizes the oysters(Have to check my facts on this).

It’s been several several years since I was down there at Port St Joe. Ate at a place where they bring seafood in. They said it was an oyster harvesting/shucking business until things went south so they started cooking seafood to help out. I asked why oysters were getting so expensive, he just shook his head. Told of all the troubles etc…. and also folks haven’t slowed down buying them and laughed.

Panama City, We shuck em you suck em !! That place was great !!!

How many pearls have you bitten down on? I have two from the 1970's, when I was still in the Navy. Those little suckers can break a tooth! Use to love them raw when I was stationed in Pensacola.

I’ve found a bunch at times

Long ago in the 70s we had a seafood restaurant in Russellville. I would make the oyster on the half shell trays. Oysters came in a gallon paint can and a bushel of shells. We’d wash the shells and reuse. One night an entire table found a bunch of pearls that I’d overlooked when putting the trays together. The table ate over a gallon of oysters but they were hooting and hollering about finding them. We opened the other cans but never found any. I was probably 10 or so and the beginning of really liking seafood.

Me and wife split a dozen Friday night.was excellent
Oysters, gumbo,ahi tuna.dang good

Thanks for the info. I was just curious. I'll never eat oysters from there again now that I know what Atlanta dumps in the Chattahoochee river.

Way back in the day we used to tong our own oysters. Absolutely no better oyster than the ones that came out of East Bay near Holley/Navarre.

There are several farms in SW AL that are growing shrimp in ponds. These are in prairie soils and the wells they fill the ponds with have enough salt in them to grow shrimp. Does anyone know if they can grow oysters too?

WINNER ^^^^^^^

Got a dozen from one of the restaurants down there back in the fall. I eat mine on crackers. I only needed 3 crackers.

Are these oyster farms in grand bay?

I can eat them raw on a cracker, fried, or cooked. On the half shell not so much.

They damn near killed me 25 years ago. Now I don't eat them at all. Which is probably a good thing seeing that they are $80 a bushel down here. Back then I paid $28 that was hosed off and on ice....