TALLAHASSEE — State wildlife officials could allow oyster harvesting in part of Northwest Florida’s Apalachicola Bay, where the fishery collapsed more than a decade ago and continues to struggle to recover.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission staff members have recommended a “limited opening,” as some oyster reefs in the bay have recovered “to a condition that could support limited commercial and recreational harvest.”

In a memo to commissioners, Jessica McCawley, director of the agency’s Division of Marine Fisheries Management, suggested a “lottery” to limit permits for recreational harvesters and new rules for the commercial industry. Restrictions could include such steps as a harvesting season between October and February, harvest limits each season and increased reporti

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