A water-conservation measure that fishermen said would devastate the Florida Panhandle's oyster industry has been delayed, the governors of three drought-stricken Southeastern states said as they pledged to speed talks on sharing water during scarcities. The Bush administration had brokered a plan last month to reduce flows into the Apalachicola River, which feeds a major oyster breeding ground in Florida. That short-term effort to bolster Atlanta's drinking supply drew opposition from oystermen and environmentalists who said it would further damage species already hit hard by one of the region's worst droughts in years. The governors of Florida, Georgia and Alabama and the federal government agreed not to reduce, for now, the minimum amount of water that will flow into Apalachicola Bay. The governors also agreed that their staffs would continue to work together to come up with a plan for doling out the region's water by March 15, faster than had been expected.