Shucking Oysters Community and Environment on Apalachicola Bay
Date of Award
2005
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Brain, David
Keywords
Community, Environment, Apalachicola Bay, Oysters, Place, Attachment
Area of Concentration
Sociology
Abstract
The small Eastpoint oystering community on Apalachicola Bay in north Florida has historically depended on the catch and sale of oysters and other seafood products to sustain its social and economic livelihood, with a large percentage of individuals within the community employed in jobs that relate directly to oysters. Over the past several years this community has been under threat from expanding development and a real estate explosion, as well as degrading environmental conditions from higher pollution rates and a multi-state water allocation battle. This thesis explores the concepts of community relation to place and the environment, specifically those relationships found within natural resource based communities, and investigates the historic reliance and the present relationship of people in the community to the resource. Specific data that were collected from the oystermen themselves, as well as other community members and policy makers, through open-ended interviews. The changing structure of the community due to development, tightening governmental restrictions on the oyster trade, and changing environmental conditions are major aspects of the decline of the community. Despite these findings, this research shows that attachment to the community and the environment, in the sense of working on the water, are still strong and remain important to community members. This community highlights the need to preserve places that have a strong heritage in order to more fully understand the relationship of people to place and remind us of what community really can be, as well as underlining the importance of working with the environment to sustain a living.
Recommended Citation
Ginsburg, Laura, "Shucking Oysters Community and Environment on Apalachicola Bay" (2005). Theses & ETDs. 3522.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/3522
Rights
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