Hard-luck Mississippi Gulf Coast will have its first oyster season since 2018

BILOXI, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Gulf Coast will have an oyster season for the first time since 2018. The state Department of Marine Resources announced in a statement Wednesday that the season will open at sunrise, Nov. 13, in eight harvesting areas. But the season will last only 10 days. Department director Joe Spraggins tells the Sun Herald that the season will help get Mississippi oysters back on the market. He says the limited season will help keep over-fishing at bay so that oyster growth can be preserved. The department has set harvest limits at 10 sacks per vessel for both commercial oyster tonging and dredging. Recreational harvest is limited to three sacks per recreationally licensed resident for a seven-day period.