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He made a living through clamming and oystering but also ran a small business called “Better Tree Service.”

The state closed the western half of its oystering area in Mobile Bay on Nov. 23, WKRG-TV reports, and closed two small but productive areas in the eastern half of the bay on Tuesday.

At its peak, according to the state, oystering in Apalachicola Bay supported approximately 2,500 jobs.

Hartsfield has been reduced to oystering part time, making the rest of his living fishing for shrimp.

To fix the problems of oystering, people with a vested interest in seeing the beds grow and produce must have an equal voice in the conversation, he said.