Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) officials today visited Bay County to highlight the community’s aquaculture industry. Commissioner Fried toured the shellfish processing facility at Webb’s Seafood Inc. in Youngstown, and spoke about the Panhandle’s growing aquaculture industry.
“Florida is one of the top states in the country for fresh seafood production, supporting almost 14,000 jobs in Florida with $730 million in economic impact — and aquaculture is a pillar of the seafood industry, with more than 700 aquaculture leases across the state,” said Commissioner Nikki Fried. “Here in the Panhandle, aquaculture means jobs and opportunity, with the number of aquaculture leases continuing to grow each year. The future is bright for Fresh From Florida seafood, thanks to local businesses like Webb’s Seafood.”
“We sell oysters here from Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida — but everyone really wants Fresh From Florida oysters, as they’re the best-tasting,” said Robert Webb.
Founded in 1985 by Robert and Janet Webb, Webb’s Seafood Inc. has two large facilities in Eastpoint and Youngstown, and is one of three facilities in Florida certified and approved for post-harvest processing. Webb’s Seafood Inc. sells oyster shellstock, processes oysters into shucked gallons and pints, and can utilize two different post-harvest processes to reduce Vibrio infections in oysters, to ensure the safety of oysters sold to consumers.
