With a busy storm season underway and Hurricane Sally leaving its mark on coastal Alabama and the Pensacola area (and forcing farmers in Mississippi to prepare for a storm), the oyster farming community has had its hands full. It’s a reminder to everyone (oyster farmer or not) that preparation and having a plan are essential.
In a series of fact sheets and checklists, Sea Grant programs across the Gulf provided both general and gear-specific advice for oyster farmers for storm preparation and recovery. We encourage everyone in the industry to have and practice a plan and implement the plan in stages. Of course, Hurricane Sally was a powerful reminder of the unpredictability of storm paths and the need for preparation.
At this point though, we recognize that many of us are in recovery mode. Certainly, if Sea Grant can be of assistance, we encourage you to reach out to us. We have had a couple requests for drone flyovers to assess farm damage and determine if any gear washed up onshore.
More generally, we provide the following advice (from the Introductory Planning Guide in the fact sheet series).
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