First oyster season in five years slated for South MS, but strict catch limits will apply
The Mississippi Coast will have an oyster season for the first time since 2018.
The oyster season will open at sunrise, Nov. 13, but only for 10 days, the state Department of Marine Resources announced in a news release Wednesday. The oyster harvesting areas are shown on this map located on the DMR website.
The agency has set harvest limits at 10 sacks per vessel for both commercial oyster tonging and dredging. Recreational harvest is limited to three sacks per recreationally licensed resident for a seven-day period.
The season arrives with the approach of Thanksgiving, when Coast residents look forward to including Mississippi Sound oysters in dishes and holiday spreads.
The state has invested millions to restore oyster reefs since the 2010 BP oil spill. But flooding has in subsequent years, decimated the beds, diluting salinity in the Mississippi Sound to the point that oysters couldn’t survive. In 2019, Mississippi River water released through the Bonnet Carré Spillway killed almost all the oysters on the state’s most productive reefs, which are in the western sound.
“Through our monitoring efforts, we have seen positive growth over the last couple of years and are ready to open a limited season in certain areas,” said Joe Spraggins, the DMR’s director. “The season is to provide some access to the industry and get Mississippi oysters on the market.”
With a limited season, Spraggins said, the agency wants to avoid fragile reefs being over-fished so that oyster growth and harvest can be preserved for future years.
These public reefs open for oystering
The areas open for oyster harvesting are listed below:
Area B, which includes St. Joe reefs.
Area II A, which includes the Pass Christian Tonging Box
Area II B, which includes Waveland and St. Stanislaus reefs
Area II E, including Henderson Point reefs
Area II F, including Pass Dredging reefs
Area II G, which includes Pass Marianne reefs
Area II H, including Telegraph reefs
Area II I, including Pelican reefs
MDMR will have check stations at 104 South Market St. in the Pass Christian Harbor and 5200 Shipyard Road in Bayou Caddy. Oyster harvesters must check in before dredging or tonging.
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 10:30 AM.
