Status of Oyster Season

The Department of Marine Resources hopes to open oyster season next week. This comes after the two month hiatus from the red tide and opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
Officials are waiting for samples to come back from the Pearl River to ensure the water is clear of bacteria. The opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway did not affect the oysters down here on the Coast.
The emergency relocation program provided some means of income for licensed fishermen helping to transfer oysters, many say they need more to sustain a living. Coast fisherman James ‘Catfish’ Miller said, “I’m just a fisherman looking to work just like the rest of my fellow citizens are. I just don’t think it’s fair for our industry to be beat down like this and nothing to be done back towards our industry. It’s tough.”
Forty thousand sacks of oysters were transported during the DMR’s emergency program. Even though oyster season typically closes in April, officials and fishermen both hope conditions work in their favor and oyster season re-opens as soon as possible.