Thirst for Fresh Water Threatens Apalachicola Bay Fisheries - NYTimes.com

New York Times visits Apalachicola Bay and its drought-stressed oyster beds:

Thirst for Fresh Water Threatens Apalachicola Bay Fisheries - NYTimes.com: researchers found this year that the lack of fresh water had made it nearly impossible for the bay to bounce back as it typically does after stressful events. Last year, the Apalachicola River reached its lowest level and stayed there for nine months, a record.

While the oysters face the most immediate threat, environmentalists and lawmakers said the diminished flow has other far-reaching consequences on Apalachicola’s $6.6 million seafood industry. It could affect some of Florida’s most popular catches, including grouper, snapper, blue crab and shrimp, which early on feed and grow in the estuary’s perfectly calibrated mixing bowl of salt water and fresh water.