The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will reopen the oyster season in designated portions of the Public Oyster Seed Grounds for bedding purposes only. This will allow limited harvest of the resource prior to potential oyster mortality as a result of the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway and the high flow of the Atchafalaya River. Harvestable quantities of oyster resources exist in these public oyster seed grounds, and with the influx of freshwater, a potential decrease in salinity levels may result in significant oyster mortalities.
 
The season will reopen for bedding purposes in the Public Oyster Seed Grounds in Lake Borgne (St. Bernard Parish), a portion of Mississippi Sound (St. Bernard Parish) and a portion of the Atchafalaya Bay (St. Mary Parish) Public Oyster Seed Grounds, within areas designated by the Louisiana Department of Health Areas 1, 2, and 25. This opening is for bedding purposes only and will begin at one half-hour after sunrise on Thursday, March 14, 2019, and will close at one half-hour after sunset on Saturday, March 16, 2019.
 
The following areas will open:

The special bedding-only season described above will open with the following provisions:

The following provisions apply to all harvesters during the special bedding season:

The Commission authorized Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Secretary Jack Montoucet to take emergency action to close areas on an as-needed basis based on biological data or if enforcement problems are encountered. The Secretary was also authorized to take emergency action to reopen areas previously closed if the threat to the resource has ended and to open areas if substantial oyster resources are located.
 
Public notice of any opening, delay, or closure of a season will be provided at least 72 hours prior to such action, unless such closure is ordered by the Louisiana Department of Health for public health concerns.
 
For more information, please contact Carolina Bourque at (337) 735-8726 or via email at cbourque@wlf.la.gov.
 
Applications for transplant permits may be obtained between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, please contact the Louisiana Department of Health, Molluscan Shellfish Program at (225) 342-7653.