Watershed

In the summer of 2014, President Obama gave the green light for oil and gas exploration off the Atlantic coast—a complete reversal in Obama’s 2008 campaign platform.

Today, nine applications for seismic airgun testing are under consideration at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Seismic testing—sometimes known more graphically as “seismic airgun blasting”—is a technology that maps oil and gas deposits in the ocean. The process involves sonic bursts in 10 second intervals that continue for days, weeks, and sometimes months. The “bursts” are 100,000 times more intense than a jet engine.

The consequences of seismic testing have manifested in locations across the world: drastically reduced fishery numbers; marine animal deaths, behavioral disruptions, and breeding interruptions; and job elimination.

In St. Augustine, Florida, the Matanzas Riverkeeper and Oceana are two organizations opposed to the proposed seismic testing. Joined by coalition members like the Florida Wildlife Federation, Sierra Club and Surfrider, they’re calling on Florida’s elected officials to take a stance on this potentially devastating sonic blasting.

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Oysters are the foundation of culture and economy in Apalachicola, a small, Franklin County fishing town in Florida’s panhandle. In many ways, the oyster is Apalachicola’s culinary mascot. But the bay, so famous for its eponymous oyster, is in serious trouble.

2.6 million pounds of oysters came from the Apalachicola Bay in 2009, but that number plummeted to 470,000 pounds in 2013. Yields this year aren't looking any better, and Franklin County residents are grappling with what to do.

"I love it. It’s what I’ve always done, it’s what my parent’s have always done. I have the Gulf of Mexico right at my front door. I have the Apalachicola River at my back door, and the forest in my yard. So why would I want to leave?" -Ricky Banks, Apalachicola oysterman and vice president of the Franklin County Seafood Workers' Association.

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In 2011, the Florida legislature slashed funding for statewide conservation programs. In September 2014, activists and policy makers gathered at Homosassa Springs to respond.

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