Win for Coast oyster fishermen

A press conference was held Friday by Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United at the Pass Christian Harbor.

The group announced a legal victory after a Harrison County judge ruled in their favor. The judge struck down the state’s plan to lease 80 percent of oyster reefs in the Mississippi Sound to private companies.

The ruling pointed out private leasing violates the U.S. and Mississippi constitutions, saying it violated the right to fish and could create a private monopoly.

WXXV News 25’s Dave Elliot talked to Ryan Bradley with Fisheries United about the landmark decision.