Fishers have caught oysters in Mississippi for hundreds of years. People may eat the shellfish raw, cook them, or add them to chowder. But Mississippi banned the harvest of oysters in 2019. For five years, no one could catch (or sell) oysters in public areas of Mississippi. At last, it’s oyster season there again!
Mississippi’s oysters live in the Mississippi Sound. That is part of an estuary — where freshwater mixes with saltwater. The Mississippi Sound lies between the Mississippi coast and islands in the Gulf of Mexico. Rivers bring freshwater to the Sound. But many of the oysters died in recent years. Officials stopped the oyster harvest to let the population bounce back.
A hurricane in 2005 hurt Mississippi’s oysters. So did an oil spill in 2010. Then there was another problem in 2019. The Mississippi River reached a very high level. Officials opened the Bonnet Carré Spillway for 123 days. That let water out of the Mississippi River to keep New Orleans from flooding. Freshwater flowed into the Mississippi Sound where the oysters live.
The of the Mississippi Sound’s water became too low for oysters. In some areas, water was less salty than tap water! Jessica Pruett is an at the University of Southern Mississippi. “Since then, there hasn’t been enough of a population to harvest,” Pruett told News-O-Matic.
Oysters start as a in the water. The larva grows on a hard place to about 3 inches (7 cm) in one year. The filter feeders stay in one place. They eat by grabbing food as it flows by. Oysters in Mississippi live underwater on reefs.
The Mississippi Department of Resources (MDMR) checks that Mississippi’s water is healthy. It makes sure oysters are safe to eat. The MDMR allowed a harvest in 2024. On November 13, the MDMR opened an oyster harvest for 14 days. Fishers have 12 more days in December to catch oysters in the Mississippi Sound.
There are now more baby oysters in the Mississippi Sound. “That means adults are reproducing,” said Pruett. “Hopefully we can continue to see good growth in the population,” she added. “And we can continue a harvest.”
By Diana Richard
Updated December 6, 2024, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
