Film by Michael & David Hanson
For the past 38 years, Kendall Schoelles has made a living off his 22-foot plywood skiff, harvesting oysters from a private lease on Apalachicola Bay that was handed down to him by his grandfather.
A combination of natural disasters, overharvesting after the 2010 BP Deep Water Horizon oil spill, and the ongoing water wars between Georgia and Florida has led to a historic collapse in oyster populations that caused the state to close the bay until 2025.
But Schoelles, determined to save his grandfather’s lease and the occupation he loves, won’t give up.
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The Last Oyster Tongers of Apalachicola
As Florida’s oyster population declines, so goes the wisdom of people who have gathered oysters for generations.