Oyster population declining

BAYOU LA BATRE - This salty but delectable dish is a favorite for many seafood lovers. It's also a source of income for oyster men. That's why local officials are doing all they can to try to revitalize Alabama's oyster industry.

Bayou La Batre Mayor Stan Wright said, "Right now we're doing some planting programs and trying to keep people from going hungry, they need to pay bills."

Wright said the industry is suffering. The combination of erosion, hurricanes, oyster snails and the saltwater intrusion in the Mobile Bay has caused a devastating impact.

Conservation officials are proposing a plan to build an 800 acre oyster reef along the western shore of the Mobile Bay. Wright added, "You plant this in the bottom. Immediately during or after spawning season these microscopic babies will float around the water and stick to the hard surface and that will produce spat." In about 2-3 years it'll turn into an adult sized oyster.

Wright said they want to do everything by the book and make sure the oysters are sampled properly. Wright said, "Once they're fit for food consumption I would like to see the reefs open November 1. Then the water is cool, the market is strong and fishermen can get top dollar."

Whether or not the reef proposal gets put in place the mayor said Alabama needs to make more of these in order to sustain the commercial seafood market.

Wright added, "We're at the end where we have to try something different and I think this is the right way to go for the future. In the next 20 years I would like to see the western shore of the Mobile Bay with solid oysters."

There's a public hearing Tuesday on the proposed oyster reef. It starts at 6:00 at the Bayou La Batre community center.