Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is closing TX-1 in Galveston Bay to commercial and recreational oyster harvesting beginning at 12:01 a.m. January 17, 2023. This area was previously closed on January 7 by the Texas Department of State Health Services due to elevated lab results.
This closure is based on samples recently collected by TPWD showing low abundance of legal-sized oysters. TPWD has worked with the oyster industry to develop criteria for closing areas for harvest. The criteria include parameters for oysters when they are below certain thresholds based on the abundance of legal size oysters (3 inches or more) and the percentage of small oysters (2-2.9 inches).
All areas currently closed to collection will continue to be monitored by TPWD and will reopen when criteria thresholds are reached. From January 17, 2023 these areas will be open to public oyster harvesting:
Galveston Bay
- TX- 8
Matagorda Bay
- TX- 11
- TX- 19
- TX- 20
Corpus Christi Bay
- TX- 33
Lower Laguna Madre
- TX- 34
Aransas Bay
- TX-29 (oyster harvesting is open from the south of a line beginning at 28º06′ 52.19″, 96º 55′ 32.52″ (28.11450º N, -96.92570° W) and ends at 28° 06′ 38.19″, 96° 53′ 17.41″ (28.11061° N, -96.88817° W)
A map showing oyster harvesting areas can be found on the Department of State Health Services website.