MD Oyster Season Extended for 2 Weeks

(Photo by William Whaley, submitted to Maryland DNR Photo Contest)

Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources is moving forward with a two-week extension of the commercial oyster season to help watermen make up for lost harvesting opportunities after many waterways and parts of the Chesapeake Bay froze during frigid temperatures in January and early February.

The change will extend the state’s commercial oyster season to April 14 this year. It was originally scheduled to end March 31. Under the extension, all current gear restrictions and bushel limits will remain in effect. Handscraping for oysters in hand tong areas is not permitted under the extension.

“Maryland’s watermen have faced a difficult oyster season after recent declines in market demand and ice on waterways blocked access to traditional harvest areas,” said DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz. “This oyster season extension will give them additional opportunities to boost their livelihoods and the local communities where they live. DNR made this decision after extensive conversations with industry stakeholders and scientists. Coordinated oyster restoration and management efforts led by DNR have resulted in a multi-year increase of the overall oyster population in Maryland. We are confident that extending the season will not affect the ongoing resurgence of oysters in the Bay and local rivers.”

Oyster populations in Maryland are in the midst of a multi-year increase and are at their highest levels in more than two decades. The 2025 Maryland oyster stock assessment found that adult oyster populations in state waters had more than tripled to 7.6 billion oysters since a low of 2.4 billion oysters in 2005.