Mississippi DMR reports strong oyster harvest as lease program remains legally paused

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources reported early-season oyster landings of 2,432 sacks and said the agency will not issue any new oyster leases while a court ruling and a pending reconsideration motion remain unresolved.

Agency officials said the department is operating under the same rules that applied before 2024-25 statute changes and will not approve new leases until the legislature and the courts provide clarity.

Department officials told the Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources that a judge ruled the agency's lease process unconstitutional as it had been implemented, and the attorney general's office has filed a motion for reconsideration. "We don't know where it's at," the executive director said during the commission's Oct. 21 meeting. The director said the agency will "continue to operate as we did prior to the 02/2024, '25 bill" and that "there will be no new leases until we have something understood by the legislature." The director added the judge's decision will also affect specific oyster bottoms and seasons as those issues are resolved in court.

Commissioners were updated on harvest volumes and limits tied to the season the department opened in parts of the western Mississippi Sound. The agency said the season opened Oct. 13 with daily commercial sack limits set at 15 sacks per day per vessel for tongers and 20 sacks per day per vessel for dredgers; recreational harvest is limited to three sacks per person per seven-day period.

The executive director reported the department had recorded 2,432 sacks so far and said harvest crews were averaging about 350 sacks per day. "The oysters are absolutely beautiful," the director said, adding wholesalers were receiving about $30 to $35 per sack. The director characterized the current stretch of good weather and harvest activity as likely to support a "90 days plus" season, noting it would be the first time since February 2010 the department has seen that many harvest days, but did not state a precise end date.

The executive director also described agency outreach and industry promotion tied to recent events: the state's cooking team served shrimp samples at Cruise the Coast and staff reported heavy public interest in Mississippi seafood.

The commission did not take a new vote on leases at the meeting; the agency flagged the matter as pending litigation and legislative work before any new lease approvals could resume.

The department said existing leases that predate the 2024-25 changes remain in effect and will continue to be managed until any court or legislative action requires modification.

The commission scheduled its next meeting for Nov. 18 in Hancock County.