The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Division of Marine Resources announced that the state's public oyster reefs will be closed for harvesting this week. The department announced Tuesday that public oyster reefs will close Friday at 2 p.m.

The harvest zone has been open since Oct. 2, and to date more than 32,000 bags of oysters have been harvested totaling approximately 2.7 million pounds with an estimated dockside value of more than $1.2 million.

“This season has been very successful and builds on the success of the past four years. We expected the number of bags harvested to be similar to last season, but when the salinity was high There have been some instances of coral reef mortality from oyster drills, which are predatory snails that breed in the Pacific Ocean,” said Scott Bannon, Director of Marine Resources.

“Using our harvest grid system, we can monitor small areas and close them off appropriately to ensure sustainability, while harvesters continue to work more days elsewhere. Accurate harvest reporting was an important part of the length of the season.

“We appreciate the reporting efforts of harvesters and the efforts of our staff to effectively monitor and manage the season. Although the price per pound of oysters at the docks was more volatile than last year, harvesters are grateful for the efforts of our staff to effectively monitor and manage the season. They were able to harvest and sell the crops for a profit, benefiting their families and the local economy.”

MRD continues to leverage several new research techniques to help develop preseason harvest forecasts and help restore and maintain Alabama's oyster reefs for generations to come. We are working.