All Eyes

Oyster farmers look to rebuild after Hurricane Michael

The Apalachicola wild oyster industry has suffered a range of challenges in recent years. T.J. Ward, Tommy Ward and their family have pivoted to oyster farming. And now Hurricane Michael. The family’s bottom oyster leases are likely buried under silt, whatever oysters remain suffocated. Their 13 Mile Oyster House was completely destroyed by the hurricane, their shrimp business and retail seafood shop temporarily shut down while they clean out. But what about the more than half a million farmed oysters they are raising? Did the hurricane kill them and spread their high-tech equipment across the bay?