BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Department of Natural Resources this week released harvest totals for the 2023-2024 season harvesting season. The commercial harvest of oysters in Maryland totaled 430,000 bushels from October 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. This is the fifth season in the past three decades to exceed the 400,000 bushel harvest mark.

“Maryland’s oyster population has notably improved in recent years,” said Department of Natural Resources Shellfish Division Director Christopher Judy. “This season’s harvest far exceeded the average yield over the last several decades.”

The Maryland DNR said that a lack of market demand for oysters this season caused some watermen to delay harvesting operations. However, the oyster abundance was also smaller than in the previous two seasons. The DNR said that a strong spat set in 2020 produced a robust population, but the spat sets in 2021 and 2022 were less abundant.

The 2023 Fall Oyster Survey shows a high spat set. The DNR said that this could bode well for future harvests if the spat set is healthy. The spat set is spread across a broader area than normal for the state.

Oyster harvesting operations in Maryland are also showing signs of growth. The DNR also said that many oyster sanctuaries are showing promising signs of recovery.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo via Maryland DNR