"Nineteen bags is nothing," Wayne Williams, who directs the Seafood Work And Watermen's Association, told The Apalachicola Times the week the bay reopened. "I can seriously catch that many bags in two days by myself."
Nineteen bags is the most any endorsed commercial oysterman can take from Apalachicola Bay between Oct. 1, 2026 and Feb. 28, 2027. This is the first fall harvest since the bay closed to wild oysters in 2020, so the oysters are back. They are also capped tighter than they were last winter. Ask for local oysters on St. George Island this fall and you are asking for something the season was set up to keep scarce.
A Longer Season With Less in It
The reopening came in two parts. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission allowed a short wild harvest from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, 2026, closed the bay again through Sept. 30, and then opened the current season on Oct. 1. According to the Times, Oct. 1 usually starts the stronger of the two seasons, because it leads into the holidays.
The numbers for that stronger season are the smaller ones.
| Jan.–Feb. 2026 season | Oct. 2026–Feb. 2027 season | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | About two months | Five months |
| Bags | 4,233 landed by 153 commercial participants | 2,560-bag total cap |
| Reefs open | Four, in the Cat Point area | Three |
| Dealer price per bag | About $60 at Barber's Seafood | $65 at Barber's Seafood |
The winter figures come from The Apalachicola Times for the landed total and from the Times' January opening coverage for the reef count and price. WFSU put the winter season at 4,726 bags "used," and the two outlets don't explain the difference. Either way, this season's cap is well below what came out of the bay last winter. FWC announced the 2,560-bag limit at its August meeting in Panama City Beach and said it sets each season's harvest level by how many oysters are on the reefs.
Spread over the calendar, the gap gets wider. Last winter's catch averaged more than 2,000 bags a month. This season's cap, spread evenly from October through February, comes to about 512 bags a month for the whole bay.
Three Reefs, One Threshold
The cap is small because so little of the bay qualifies to open. FWC opens a reef only when it holds at least 400 bags of legal-sized oysters per acre. Three reefs met that bar for this season. According to the Times, the 2,433 commercial bags are split among them like this:
- Peanut Ridge, 1,029 bags
- NFWF Cat Point, 847 bags
- Cat Point Spur, 557 bags
The other 127 bags are for recreational harvest. That side of the fishery is limited to 127 permit holders picked by lottery. Each one gets a tag good for a single bag from one named reef for the whole season, and FWC lists recreational harvest days as Saturday and Sunday. Commercial harvest happens Monday through Friday, by hand or with tongs, and oysters must measure at least three inches.
The commercial pool is closed too. To renew an Apalachicola Bay endorsement for this season, a harvester had to have harvested, sold and reported wild bay oysters during the January–February season, and the renewal deadline was June 30. FWC says it will not issue new endorsements after that first season. Endorsements that aren't renewed go back to the state and may be offered to new applicants in later seasons. Fewer than 130 oystermen hold one now. That's where the 19-bag ceiling comes from. At the $65 a bag Barber's is paying, it works out to about $1,235 for a full season's catch, per the Times.
FWC Vice Chairman Joshua Kellam described the reopening in the agency's August announcement: "We've opened a fishery that has been closed for six years and now we have it in a restored fashion where people are able to get back on the water, this is a huge success." Both views hold up. The fishery is open again, and its size is set by what the reefs can support.
Why the Weather Forecast Matters as Much as the Calendar
A season can be open while the reefs sit idle. The Times reported a slow first week. "The weather was real nasty so we didn't get in very much stuff," Stephanie Barber, whose family owns Barber's Seafood in Eastpoint, told the paper. "A lot of people are waiting until it cools off before they harvest."
The state can also pause harvest on its own. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services may temporarily close the shellfish harvesting area around the open reefs after heavy rain, when river levels rise, or during harmful algal blooms. FDACS posts the current status on its Shellfish Harvesting Area Information page. Weekday-only commercial harvest, weather that keeps boats in, and possible closures all come out of the same small cap, so the supply of wild bay oysters will come in uneven batches this fall.
The Short Trip From Cat Point to the Table
What does reach shore goes through very few hands. Barber's Seafood is one of the few certified processors left in Franklin County that can buy and sell commercial oysters, according to the Times. During the winter season, WUWF reported that Barber's processed and sold about two-thirds of the wild oysters harvested, and that local oysters made up about 70% of its sales during the reopening. The same story said Island View Seafood, Michael Edward Millender's retail market in Apalachicola, saw its oyster sales jump once harvest resumed.
Last winter, the wild oysters showed up at a few named spots around the bay. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that Hole in the Wall in Apalachicola started serving them on Jan. 2, with customers waiting for its first delivery. A February WFSU field report found raw wild-caught Apalachicola oysters at Red Pirate Family Grill & Oyster Bar in Eastpoint, and listed restaurant prices in Apalachicola of $24.99 for a dozen raw and $75 for a 30-pound box. Those reports describe the winter season. None of the coverage so far confirms which menus are carrying wild bay oysters this October. With less than two-thirds of last winter's catch spread across five months, calling ahead is the most reliable way to find out.
On the island, the restaurant scene has its own news this year. In May, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Harry A's Bar & Grill, the island hangout long known for seafood, steaks and cocktails, had reopened after a million-dollar auction under a new name, Sand Bar Kitchen + Tavern.
Festival Weekend Puts the Bay on Display
The Florida Seafood Festival takes over Apalachicola on Nov. 6 and 7, about five weeks into the season. The schedule follows the bay's working calendar:
- Friday, Nov. 6: The park opens at 10 a.m. with no admission charge. The Blessing of the Fleet is at 4 p.m., followed by the arrival of King Retsyo and Miss Florida Seafood at 4:30 and opening ceremonies at 4:45.
- Saturday, Nov. 7: The Redfish Run starts at 8 a.m. from the front steps of the Gibson Inn. Gates open and the Highway 98 parade begins at 10 a.m. Admission is $10, and children under 12 get in free.
- Saturday afternoon: The oyster shucking contest starts at 1 p.m. and the oyster eating contest at 1:15. Blue crab races for children under 12 run at the top of each hour from 1 to 5 p.m.
- Saturday night: Kaleb Austin headlines at 8:30 p.m., and the park closes at 10:30.
The festival's shucking contest page says each contestant gets 18 "World Famous Apalachicola Bay Oysters." The page isn't dated, and no 2026 coverage yet says where this year's contest oysters or vendor oysters will come from. This is the first fall festival since 2020 to fall during an open wild harvest, and it lands in a season that started slowly and limits each commercial harvester to 19 bags.
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This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
