Commission Agenda Item 10
May 22, 2025

• Item Type: Briefing
• Presenter: Robin Riechers

Status of the Oyster Fishery and Resource in Texas

I. Executive Summary:

Staff will brief the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (Commission) on the status of oyster resources in Texas and the commercial fishery, specifically focusing on recent activities and changes.

II. Discussion:

Texas oysters are one of the most important coastal resources, providing critical habitat and ecosystem services that are essential for the ecological health of our bays, in addition to being an important cultural food source. The Texas commercial oyster fishery has long been part of the commercial fishery fabric along the Texas coast.

There have been several recent management actions surrounding oyster resources in Texas that have been brought before the Commission in other briefings and actions, including the permitting of oyster mariculture, the expansion of authority and opportunity for oyster Certificate of Locations for restoration and commercial activities, department restoration activities on the coast, and continued intensive sampling of the fishery to ensure protection of the resource through opening and closing of areas during the public oyster season.  This briefing will highlight those activities again in context as part of a whole approach to management of oyster resources, discuss recent changes in the oyster buyback strategy, and provide some preliminary results from the buyback effort.