Tampa Bay Shellfish Farmers Can Resume Harvesting at Sunrise After Red Tide Scare

Aquaculture farmers in lower Tampa Bay will be allowed to resume harvesting at sunrise Saturday after the state temporarily shut them down because of fears of Red Tide blooming in the area.

Shellfish Harvest Sites Closed for Unusually Long Time

August 21, 2019 Associated Press

Maine has recently lifted long closures of several shellfish harvest sites due to the potentially fatal biological toxin known as red tide.

Bivalve re-CLAM-ation Fights Florida Red Tide in Tampa Bay

Cleansing the waters of the Gulf of Mexico’s Tampa Bay using northern quahog (Mercenaria mercenaria) clams to combat Florida Red Tide might seem a little “out there”, but “out there” has been the trademark of the founder of a sustainable restaurant group on a seven-mile Florida island situated off the coast of Manatee County.

Florida Red Tide Hurts Stone Crab Industry

February 1, 2019 Elina Shirazi, Fox News

The state responsible for about 98 percent of the stone crabs hitting plates around the country is feeling the pain of the shellfish shortage, which is impacting everyone from consumers to business owners. Experts say the crabs are worth $31 million annually.

Florida’s Red Tide Blamed for Lousy Stone Crab Season

December 27, 2018 Madeline Farber, Fox News

Specifically, certain areas along the gulf coast — such as Everglades City — have been impacted by the shortage. One seasoned fisherman there, Rick Collins, recently told The New York Times this stone crab season — which occurs annually from October to May — is “about the worst I’ve ever seen it.”