> Oyster tongers work on their own schedule, with no boss, getting paid in cash based on their daily harvest. [...] Profits are based on market price and how ha

> Oyster tongers work on their own schedule, with no boss, getting paid in cash based on their daily harvest. [...] Profits are based on market price and how hard you work. There’s a cowboy romance to the independent industry. My family oystered on the Chesapeake. Some still do. My childhood was spent playing through the ruins of the oyster house we built on the point, past its heyday and abandoned by the time I was born. Can attest to how much of a long game it is. You make moves for five years in the future, and reap the results of what someone did five years ago. And the profits or losses are largely born by you: not many oysters subsidies for not harvesting... And it has always been contentious. Often violent. About what you'd expect if your savings account were a sack of money sitting next to your mailbox. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_Wars https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster_Wars But it's also a beautiful way of life. The old timers know more about the nuances of the coast, contours of the bottom, and tides than I'd imagine would fit into a human head. And, for now, my 97 year old great uncle still takes his skiff out and tongs every now and then. (Knock on wood) And here's encouraging people in the Apalachicola region, or those interested from afar, to act for the next decade. Apalachicola Riverkeeper and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper are good places to start. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/593550426 https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/593550426 https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/582095413 https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/582095413 Now that the Florida lawsuit is resolved, hopefully the tristate area can get back to negotiating a comprehensive plan in good faith.