A workshop on hurricane preparation and recovery for oyster growers in the Panhandle is being hosted by the UF/IFAS Shellfish Aquaculture Extension Program. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 31 and is being offered at two times and locations – from 2:00 to 4:30 pm at the FSU Coastal and Marine Lab, 3618 Coastal Highway 98, St. Teresa, and from 6:00 to 8:30 pm at the Wakulla County Extension Office, 84 Cedar Avenue, Crawfordville.
The agenda features a presentation by Bill Walton and Rusty Grice with the Auburn University Shellfish Lab on oyster gear management and storm plans: lessons learned by Alabama oyster growers. Charlie Culpepper with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will review best management practices for shellfish gear. Break-out sessions will allow growers to provide information on hurricane preparation, oyster gear management, and recovery, and Hurricane Michael impacts. Commercially available, durable markers to tag and identify oyster gear will be introduced. Florida Sea Grant will fund gear tags for growers in Bay, Gulf, Franklin and Wakulla Counties. Tag options will be available to choose from and will be ordered following workshop attendance.
For more information, contact Leslie Sturmer at 352.543.5057 or Lnst@ufl.edu.
The workshop flyer can be downloaded here.
