Statement by Commissioner Nikki Fried on Supreme Court Florida-Georgia Water Ruling

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a case by the State of Florida alleging that the State of Georgia’s overconsumption of water that feeds the Apalachicola River has decimated Florida’s iconic oyster industry. Of the ruling, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement:

“The Supreme Court's ruling is disappointing for the thousands of families whose livelihoods depend on the waters of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin. The Court may have disagreed, but the hardworking Floridians of our oyster fisheries know that water overconsumption by Georgia has contributed to a 98 percent decline in value of Florida's oyster catch. While we work to protect Florida’s waters, our Division of Aquaculture will continue working hard to support our oyster industry every way that we can.”

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state’s lead aquaculture agency, responsible for regulating aquafarms, protecting and conserving natural resources, and coordinating and assisting the development of aquaculture and an estimated 1,500 species of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and other aquatic life in Florida.

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