TPWD opens just two of eight Galveston Bay oyster areas for Nov. 2 season start

Texas oyster season opens Nov. 2, but only two of Galveston Bay's eight designated commercial and recreational harvest areas, TX-1 and TX-5, will open. Houston Public Media reported the news Oct. 29. An area opens only if surveys find enough legal-size oysters, which must be at least 3 inches. TPWD coastal fisheries regional director Kelley Kowal said the other six areas came nowhere near that threshold after a summer of red tide and little rain.

Kowal said only a few open areas has become normal in recent years. Three of the eight opened at the start of the 2025 season. She said the season could still be productive, depending on fishing pressure and conditions. Justin Woody of wholesaler Jerry's Seafood said he counted about 75 boats on last year's opener, roughly half the usual 150. He expects fewer this year because of fuel costs and competition from Louisiana oysters, and said lighter pressure could give reefs room to recover.

Galveston Bay supplied about 90% of Texas oyster production before Hurricane Ike in 2008, according to the Galveston Bay Foundation. It has not topped 3.5 million pounds in a year since.

Photo: Galveston Bay Foundation's oyster recycling program in 2024. Credit: Provided by Galveston Bay Foundation, via Houston Public Media.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Houston Public Media: Texas parks department will open 2 of 8 oyster harvest areas in Galveston Bay (Oct. 29, 2026).