Fort Morgan, Ala. — (OBA) — Alabama's oyster season will open at three coastal harvest grids, the Marine Resources Division of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced. The season will be limited to the Cedar Point East, Cedar Point West, and Heron Bay grids. Harvest hours will run from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. The division's Oyster Management Stations will determine a season closure date based on daily reports.

The harvest opens Monday, November 2, 2026. State marine biologists continue to track low oyster populations across Alabama's public reefs, and this year's MRD surveys confirm that populations remain depleted. Officials said the agency will carefully monitor oyster landings to determine when and which grids to close throughout the season.

Since the early 2000s, a series of environmental conditions has stressed Alabama's oysters. Extended droughts, heavy flooding in the Mobile Bay watershed, and extreme summer heat have all taken a toll. These conditions can adversely affect the oyster population, according to the Marine Resources Division.

Harvesters can view open harvest areas and grid locations on the MRD Oyster Management Station Oyster Grid Map. An interactive map is available at www.outdooralabama.com/oysterharvest. Before heading out, harvesters must stop at the Oyster Management Station across from Jemison's Bait and Tackle in Coden to drop off their ID cards and confirm which grids are open.

The Oyster Management Station is located at 16871 Dauphin Island Parkway, Coden, Alabama 36523. Station hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The station can be reached by phone at (251) 257-9966. Grid opening and closing updates will also be posted on MRD's social media pages.

All commercial oyster catchers, regardless of age, must hold a valid commercial oyster catcher's license to participate. Commercial harvesters may take a maximum of eight sacks per person, per vessel, per day — regardless of the number of licensed harvesters on board. Only tong and hand methods are permitted for harvest.

Recreational harvesters do not need a license but must report their catch and purchase a recreational harvest tag at an MRD Oyster Management Station. Recreational harvesters may take up to 100 legal-size oysters — at least three inches — per person per day. Recreational harvest may occur only in the same areas and during the same hours as commercial harvest. Commercial and recreational oysters may not be transported together on the same vessel.

For licensing information and regulations, harvesters can call the Marine Resources Division at (251) 861-2882 or visit the MRD office at 2 North Iberville Drive on Dauphin Island.