Oyster Season Closes December 31

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) has announced that all public water bottoms will close to the harvest of oysters on December 31. Alabama’s public oyster reefs opened for harvest on October 7. At the end of the 2024 season, the public oyster reefs will have been open to harvest for 58 days. During that time, approximately 25,000 sacks of oysters will have been harvested, totaling almost 2.1 million pounds with an approximate dockside value exceeding $1.5 million. ADCNR continues to utilize several new survey techniques to assist with developing season harvest estimates and work toward restoring and maintaining Alabama’s oyster reefs so that oysters can be enjoyed for generations to come. Recently, ADCNR received approximately $10 million in funding for oyster restoration from the Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustee Implementation Group from funds allocated from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. ADCNR Commissioner Chris Blankenship serves as the lead NRDA trustee for Alabama. The restoration work utilizing those funds will begin in 2025 and be led by ADCNR.