NPR

Gulf Oyster Reefs Are Hurting. Now There's Help From Oil Spill Aid Money.

Oyster harvests in the Gulf of Mexico have declined dramatically. Now scientists are working to rebuild oyster reefs, helped by settlement money from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Oyster harvests in the Gulf of Mexico have been in decline for decades.

Off Cedar Key on Florida's west coast, the water is some of the most pristine in the Gulf. The estuary there has long supported a thriving seafood industry.

Sue Colson, a city commissioner in Cedar Key, says one of the best places to harvest oysters used to be the Lone Cabbage oyster reef, about a mile offshore. When the tide was really low, she says there were so many oysters

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR2 min read
Walmart Says It Will Close Its 51 Health Centers And Virtual Care Service
The Arkansas-based company said that after managing the clinics it launched in 2019 and expanding its telehealth program, it concluded "there is not a sustainable business model for us to continue."
NPR3 min readAmerican Government
NPR Poll: Democrats Fear Fascism, And Republicans Worry About A Lack Of Values
A new 2024 election poll from NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist shows fundamental divides over concerns for America's future and what to teach the next generation.
NPR5 min read
Here's This Year's List Of The Most Endangered Historic Places In The U.S.
The National Trust's annual list includes Eatonville, the all-Black Florida town memorialized by Zora Neale Hurston, Alaska's Sitka Tlingit Clan houses, and the home of country singer Cindy Walker.

Related Books & Audiobooks