Alabama oyster season opens Monday, Nov. 2, with harvesting limited to three areas as oyster populations remain low on the state’s public reefs.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Marine Resources Division will open the Cedar Point East, Cedar Point West and Heron Bay grids. Commercial and recreational harvesting will be allowed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The limited opening follows state surveys this year showing that oyster populations remain low. Since the early 2000s, Alabama’s oysters have experienced extended droughts, flooding rains in the Mobile Bay watershed and extreme summer heat — conditions that can adversely affect their numbers.
With those concerns in mind, the division will monitor daily harvest reports to determine when individual grids and the season should close.
For those planning to gather oysters for their own table, participation does not require a recreational license. Harvesters must, however, purchase a recreational harvest tag at an Oyster Management Station and report their catch.
They may collect up to 100 oysters per person per day, with each oyster measuring at least 3 inches. The same harvest areas and hours apply to both recreational and commercial catchers.
Commercial harvesters have additional requirements. Every commercial oyster catcher must have a license, regardless of age, and harvest is limited to eight sacks per vessel per day, regardless of how many licensed harvesters are aboard.
For both groups, oysters may be gathered only by hand or with tongs. Commercial and recreational oysters cannot be transported together on the same vessel.
Before heading out, harvesters should stop at the Oyster Management Station across from Jemison’s Bait and Tackle to drop off their station ID cards and confirm which grids are open. Because areas may close as the season progresses, checking before each trip is an important part of planning a harvest.
Updates on grid openings and closings will be posted at the station and on the Marine Resources Division’s social media accounts. A link to the oyster grid map is available at outdooralabama.com/oysterharvest.
The station, located at 16871 Dauphin Island Parkway in Coden, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Harvesters can call 251-257-9966 for station information.
For questions about commercial licensing and regulations, contact the Marine Resources Division at 251-861-2882 or visit its office at 2 North Iberville Drive on Dauphin Island.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
