Maryland’s 2015-2016 oyster season kicks off October 1st. The six-month season runs from Oct. 1 through March 31.
For the first month of the season, only hand tonging, patent tonging and diving are permitted. Oyster harvesting is expected to increase considerably beginning November 1, when regulations allow power and sail dredging.
Maryland had 1,134 licensed oyster harvesters last season. Maryland’s watermen harvested a total of 393,588 bushels with a dockside value of $17.3 million in 2014-2015 – the second highest total in at least 15 years.
The 2014 Fall Oyster Survey indicated that the oyster population is continuing to hold steady, with a biomass index more than doubling since 2010.
source: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
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