Bay County oystermen are worried about the future of their industry.

They say they're already seeing fewer oysters in the local waters and while it isn't as severe as the situation in Apalachicola Bay in Franklin County, they want to take preventative measures to help keep things in control.

Bay County commissioner Mike Thomas had several oystermen come up to him stating their concerns, "the same situation is already happening here. East Bay and our bay is already, the latest checks with it show the oyster crop over there's about 80% dead."

Oystermen are worried the few oysters that are left will quickly be scooped up with the season opens October 1st. So a few Bay County oystermen have decided to have a self-imposed bag limit, dropping the number from 20 bags to 10 bags per boat.

"They don't have many oysters in Apalachicola," said local oysterman Walter Ellis, "and that's gonna put the pressure on this small area that we have here and it will be overfished just like Apalachicola if we leave it a 20 bag limit."

Due to the shortage, many oystermen are saying the prices will have to rise since the limited supply will make it hard to fit the demand.