AUSTIN – Based on recent Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD)-collected samples showing low abundance of legal-sized oysters, beginning 12:01 a.m. Nov. 27, TPWD will close TX-1 and TX-5 in Galveston Bay to commercial and recreational oyster harvest.
TPWD has worked with the oyster industry to develop criteria for closing areas to harvest. The criteria include parameters for oysters when they fall below certain thresholds based on the abundance of legal-sized oysters (3 inches or greater) and the percentage of small oysters (2-2.9 inches). TPWD will continue to monitor all areas currently closed to harvest and will reopen them when criteria thresholds are met. As of Nov. 27, the following areas will be open to public oyster harvest:
Galveston Bay
- TX- 2
- TX- 8
Matagorda Bay
- TX- 11
- TX- 13
Corpus Christi Bay
- TX- 33
Lower Laguna Madre
- TX- 34
A map showing oyster harvesting areas as well as the most up-to-date status information on each TX area can be found on the Texas Department of State Health Services website.
4200 Smith School Road Austin,Texas 78744 tpwd.texas.gov/newsmedia
TPWD receives funds from the DHS and USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin (including Limited English Proficiency), disability, age, and gender, pursuant to state and federal law. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please visit www.tpwd.texas.gov/nondiscrimination or call 512-389-4800 for information on where you can file a complaint.
To obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989 or by email at accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. If you speak a language other than English, and need assistance, please email lep@tpwd.texas.gov. You can also contact Department of the Interior Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Civil Rights, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240 and/or U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), Mail Stop #0190, Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. 20528