attributes of the largely unpolluted 

 Apalachicola drainage system. More 

 sanitary (safe) harvesting waters for 

 oysters exist in the Apalachicola estuary 

 than in any other Florida estuary. 

 Considerable support exists for this 

 industry as a regional and statewide 

 natural resource. This fact, added to 

 recent information that the Apalachicola 

 Bay system appears to be a major spawning 

 or source area for the entire Florida Gulf 

 blue crab fishery (Oesterling and Evink 

 1977), has stimulated various research 

 investigations concerning future fishery 

 potential. 



The overall Apalachicola fishery 

 resource has grown substantially over the 

 past decade. During the period from 1Q77 

 to 1981, all previous oyster production 

 records were broken on an annual basis 

 (Joyce 1983). The record landings were 

 due largely to an increase in the fishing 

 effort (Prochaska and Mulkey 1983), 

 although newly instituted programs of 

 summer oyster ing (1977) and an oyster 

 relay program (Futch 1983) have added to 

 the annual crop. Although oyster 

 production has increased to Al% of the 

 total Franklin County landings, the 

 relative value of the oyster crop has 

 declined to 365;!, partly as a result of 

 increased county shrimp landings and 

 considerable increases in shrimp prices 

 (Prochaska and Mulkey 1983). Blue crabs 

 constitute about 5% of the total value of 

 the commercial fishery in Franklin County. 

 Of the commercial finfish catch, striped 

 mullet ( Mugil cephalus ) is the most 

 important. Grouper, menhaden, and whiting 

 are also taken, although the commercial 

 ■''infish industry has declined in recent 

 years (Livingston 1983c). 



Sport fishing in the Apalachicola Bay 

 system remains largely undeveloped, 

 although the potential exists for a highly 

 productive industry. Sport fisheries 

 associated with the estuary include 

 spotted seatrout ( Cynoscion nebulosus ), 

 red drum ( Sciaenops ocellatus ), tarpon 

 ( Megalops atlanticus ), sheepshead 

 ( Archosargus probatocephlus ), black drum 

 ( Pogonias cromis ) and flounder 

 ( Paral ichthys spp.). Fishes taken ott the 

 barrier islands and Alligator Point 

 include various species of sharks, cobia 

 ( Rachycentron canadum ), bluefish 



( Pomatomus sal tatrix ), red snapper 



( Lutjanus campechanus ), and different 



species of grouper. The development of 



artificial offshore reefs in the region 



could add considerably to the continued 

 development of sport fisheries in the 

 area. 



7.2. SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS 



The Apalachicola valley depends to a 

 considerable degree on a rather narrow 

 economic base. A land-use inventory 

 (Table ?6) is indicative of the regional 

 socioeconomic conditions. Forestry and 

 agriculture account for nearly 80% of the 

 land use in the basin. Forestry, 

 agriculture, sport and commercial 

 fisheries, recreation, and light 

 manufacturing are the chief industries of 

 the region. In Franklin and Gulf 

 Counties, commercial and industrial land 

 use are only 0.9% and 0.^% of the total 

 area, respectively. In the entire river 

 basin, the population was 109,254 in 1974, 

 with only modest projected increases for 

 the next 10-20 years. Per capita income 

 is low, averaging only 65% of the state 

 level in 1974. Despite a historic trend 

 of emigration of workers, the natural 

 features of the river and bay system 

 continue to attract new residents, 

 especially in the coastal areas. The 

 Apalachicola system contributes an 

 important part of the regional economy and 

 culture, with unique sociological 

 conditions characterized by the close 

 relationship between the natural attri- 

 butes of the drainage system and the local 

 inhabitants. The slight investment needed 

 to maintain the rich renewable resources 

 of the area is an important factor in anv 

 review of the value (economic and 

 cultural) of the natural productivity of 

 the valley. 



Franklin County, which surrounds the 

 Apalachicola Bay System , has a relatively 

 limited scope of employment with primary 

 dependence on products from the aquatic 

 resource base and tourist expenditures 

 (Colberg et al. 1968). Commercial 

 fisheries alone provide jobs for over 65% 

 of the Franklin County work force. 

 Fishing is an "export" industry for 

 Franklin County because practically all 

 sales are outside the region (Prochaska 

 and Mulkey 1983). Export sales trigger a 



101 



