The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will open two of eight designated commercial and recreational oyster harvest areas in Galveston Bay on Nov. 2, the start of the state's oyster harvesting season. Officials said a summer with a red tide event and little rain was not ideal for oyster growth. To open a public area, officials must find enough legal-sized oysters, which are three inches or greater.
Kelley Kowal, a regional director with coastal fisheries at the department, said areas TX-5 and TX-1 opened, while the other Galveston Bay areas did not come close to the opening threshold. Kowal said having only a few open areas has been typical in recent years. The department opened three of eight areas at the start of the 2025 season.
According to the Galveston Bay Foundation, the bay produced about 90% of Texas oyster production before 2008, roughly six million pounds. It has not topped 3.5 million pounds in a year since then. Galveston County Judge Mark Henry issued a disaster declaration for the oyster industry in 2024 after flooding, and Hurricane Ike in 2008 led to a two-year closure of harvesting on the bay's eastern side.
Justin Woody, vice president of oyster wholesaler Jerry's Seafood, said he expects low demand because of economic conditions and competing oysters from Louisiana. He said a normal opening day has about 150 boats, and he counted about 75 last year. Woody said fewer boats could help reefs that need restoration.