Texas oyster season opens Nov. 2 in parts of Galveston, Matagorda, Aransas and Corpus Christi bays

Texas oyster season opens at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Nov. 2, but only in some areas. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says it sampled reefs before the season and opened harvest areas based on how many legal oysters, 3 inches or larger, it found.

The areas opening Nov. 2 are TX-1 and TX-5 in Galveston Bay; TX-13, TX-19 and TX-20 in Matagorda Bay; TX-29, TX-30 and TX-32 in Aransas Bay; TX-33 in Corpus Christi Bay; and TX-34 in the Lower Laguna Madre. TX-33 and TX-34 weren't sampled, but they usually see no commercial harvest and will open anyway.

Four areas, TX-1, TX-13, TX-19 and TX-20, are opening even though they fell short of the threshold. Some of their reefs held plenty of market-size oysters, but weaker reefs pulled the area averages down. TPWD says opening them gives harvesters more options and keeps the fleet from crowding into one or two bays. Every area not on the list is closed as of Nov. 2.

Coastal Fisheries staff will keep sampling and can open or close areas as thresholds are met or missed. TPWD points harvesters to the Texas Department of State Health Services shellfish map for the current status of each area.

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

Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department — Texas Oyster Harvesting Season Opens Nov. 2 (Oct. 23, 2026).