Guide
Oysters: the season, the areas and the orders
Checked September 30, 2026 against the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ legal notices and its oyster harvest zone map.
The Oysters tile shows whether the oyster harvest areas off your town are open today, from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR). MDMR opens the season, and opens and closes each area, by written order. The tile reads those orders.
An order is the answer, not the map. MDMR’s zone map shows the areas and their classification; the day’s status comes from its orders. When in doubt, call the MDMR oyster hotline, 228-374-5167.
How the orders work
- The season opens by order. For 2026–2027 MDMR ordered the season open at legal sunrise on October 1, 2026, in Area I “B”, Area II “B”, Area II “E” and Area V “A”. Only the areas an order names are open.
- Conditionally approved areas close on rain and river stage. Each has a limit on rainfall and on the Pearl River’s stage in MDMR’s management plan. When one is passed, MDMR orders the area closed, usually that afternoon, and later orders it reopened. The tile applies each order from the moment it names.
- Sundays and holidays. The season order closes all waters every Sunday, on Thanksgiving Day, and over Christmas and New Year. The tile shows those days as closed.
- An order the tile cannot read puts every town on Check with MDMR’s own title for it. It never guesses open or closed.
Which areas are off each town
| Town | Harvest areas off its shore |
|---|---|
| Waveland | Area I “B”, Area II “B”, Area II “E”, Area II “H” |
| Bay St. Louis | Area I “B”, Area II “B”, Area II “E”, Area II “H” |
| Diamondhead | Area I “B”, Area II “B”, Area II “E”, Area II “H” |
| Pass Christian | Area II “A”, Area II “E”, Area II “F”, Area II “G”, Area II “H”, Area II “I” |
| Long Beach | Area II “A”, Area II “E”, Area II “F”, Area II “G”, Area II “H”, Area II “I” |
| Gulfport | Area IV, Area V |
| Biloxi | Area IV, Area V, Area V “A” |
| D’Iberville | Area IV, Area V, Area V “A” |
| Ocean Springs | Area V, Area V “A”, Area V “C” |
| Gautier | None off this shore; the nearest are in Biloxi Bay |
| Pascagoula | None off this shore; the nearest are in Biloxi Bay |
| Moss Point | None off this shore; the nearest are in Biloxi Bay |
Only approved and conditionally approved areas are ever opened. Everything else on MDMR’s map is restricted, prohibited or unclassified, and closed to harvest.
The reefs, in MDMR’s words
| Area | Includes |
|---|---|
| Area I “B” | St. Joe Reef |
| Area II “A” | parts of the Pass Christian and Henderson Point reefs |
| Area II “B” | the Waveland and St. Stanislaus reefs |
| Area II “E” | Henderson Point Reef |
| Area II “F” | Pass Dredging Reef |
| Area II “G” | Pass Marianne Reef |
| Area II “H” | Telegraph Reef |
| Area II “I” | parts of the Pass Marianne and Pelican reefs |
| Area V “A” | Biloxi Bay Reef |
What the tile does not cover
Harvest hours, check-in and check-out at an MDMR check station, sack limits and licenses are all set in the season order and MDMR’s rules. The tile tells you whether an area is open, not whether you may harvest it. Read the season order or call the hotline before you go.
Sources
- Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, legal notices — the orders the tile reads
- MDMR, Order Opening the 2026–2027 Oyster Season
- MDMR, oyster harvest zone map layer — the areas and their classification