The decision for the closure was made after the department determined there weren’t enough legal-sized oysters, or oysters that are three inches or greater, in the area.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department closed an area dedicated to commercial and recreational oyster harvesting in Galveston Bay starting on Feb. 14, after the department determined there weren’t enough legal-sized oysters, oysters that are three inches or greater, in the area.
The closure leaves just two out of eight designated areas open in the Galveston Bay for commercial and recreational harvesting and comes at a time when federal and state officials, as well as local oyster farmers, continue to push for oyster restoration across Texas.
While oyster harvest area closures can affect those who rely on them, such as an independent fisherman, it’s a necessary move to protect the oyster population, according to Regional Director for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Kelley Kowal…