Experts hope that new oyster harvesting rules adopted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will help restore the struggling industry.
Texas oyster reefs have taken a beating since Hurricane Ike in 2008, followed by drought and flooding, the Victoria Advocate reported Sunday. Ike made landfall in Galveston, covering nearly half of the oyster beds in Galveston Bay with damaging silt.
Commissioners adopted regulations Thursday that reduce commercial possession limits and establish additional harvest restrictions. The orders, effective November through April, apply to recreational and commercial harvest of oysters. The rules reduce the commercial possession limit of oysters from 50 sacks to 40 sacks per day and close Sunday to harvesting.
