MD Dept. of Nat Resources Extends Oyster Season by Two Weeks

MARYLAND – The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has announced that the state’s oyster season will be extended by two weeks in an effort to assist watermen hit hard by this year’s brutal winter.

Officials say the extension seeks to make up for lost harvesting opportunities after many waterways and parts of the Chesapeake Bay froze during frigid temperatures over the past few months. Instead of the season ending on Mar. 31 as initially planned, the state’s commercial oyster season will now end Apr. 14. All current gear restrictions, bushel limits, and handscraping prohibitions remain in effect under the extension.

“DNR made this decision after extensive conversations with industry stakeholders and scientists,” said DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz. “Coordinated oyster restoration and management efforts led by DNR have resulted in a multi-year increase of the overall oyster population in Maryland. We are confident that extending the season will not affect the ongoing resurgence of oysters in the Bay and local rivers.”

Prior to issuing the extension, DNR received a request to extend the commercial oyster season from the State Oyster Committee, composed of representatives from county oyster committees. The chair of DNR’s Tidal Fish Advisory Commission, which consists of commercial watermen and seafood dealers, reviewed and supported the requested extension and then submitted it to DNR for further consideration.

To read more about the extension and this year’s oyster season, click here.