Oyster Harvest Opens October 2

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Marine Resources Division (MRD) will open limited areas of public oyster bottoms for weekday harvest beginning on October 2 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Harvesters are reminded to visit the Oyster Management Stations (OMS) located across from Jemison’s Bait and Tackle at 16871 Dauphin Island Parkway in Coden or Delta Port Marina at 5080 Green Drive in Coden to drop off their OMS ID cards and confirm which grids are open for harvest prior to the start of their harvesting trip. Cedar Point East grids will open on October 2. They will close based on evaluations of the harvest by MRD staff, and additional areas will be opened to harvest. Information will be posted at OMS locations and on MRD’s social media. Only harvesting by tong and hand is allowed. All commercial oyster catchers, regardless of age, must have a commercial oyster catcher’s license to participate in the harvest. They may harvest six sacks per person/vessel per day, regardless of how many licensed harvesters are aboard. Recreational oyster catchers may harvest 100 legal-size oysters per person per day.