Shellfish Harvest Area Status and Maps

11-01-2024 Status of Shellfish Harvesting Areas.pdf 

We can change the status of shellfish harvest areas in Texas estuaries at any time. These changes may be because of:  

• High rainfall and runoff,  

• Flooding,  

• Hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions,  

• Major spills,  

• Harmful algal blooms, or  

• The failure or poor operation of wastewater treatment facilities. 

We may also close shellfish harvest area(s) due to shellfish resource concerns or enforcement issues.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is responsible for commercial (including private oyster lease) and recreational oyster regulations (e.g., seasons and length and possession limits). 

Molluscan shellfish are as oysters, clams, and mussels. All shellfish in Texas waters must be harvested from approved or conditionally approved areas as designated on the maps. 

This page is meant to help commercial and recreational shellfish harvesters get the information they need. Be sure to check this page for the latest safety and regulatory information because the status of harvest areas may change every day.   

All coastal and inland waters not specifically designated as “Approved,” “Conditionally Approved,” “Prohibited,” or “Restricted” are classified as “Prohibited”. Those are closed to molluscan shellfish harvesting. 

We will provide a hard copy of the shellfish harvest area(s) you are interested in if you can’t download a copy. 

• Copano, Aransas, Mesquite and Redfish Bays (PDF, 800KB) 

• Corpus Christi and Nueces Bays (PDF, 914KB) 

• East Matagorda Bay (PDF, 643KB) 

• Freeport Area (PDF, 700KB) 

• Galveston Bay (PDF, 1.1MB) 

• Lavaca Bay (PDF, 898KB) 

• Lower Laguna Madre (PDF, 693KB) 

• Matagorda, Tres Palacios, and Carancahua Bays (PDF, 1.2MB) 

• Sabine Lake (PDF, 871KB) 

• San Antonio, Espiritu Santo Bays (PDF, 741KB) 

• South Bay (PDF, 752KB) 

• West Galveston Bay (PDF, 715KB) 

Send our Seafood and Aquatic Life program an email if you need a hard copy of a file.  

The Texas Shellfish Harvest Area Viewer is an interactive map. It helps you to identify:  

• Shellfish harvest areas,  

• Shellfish harvest area boundary markers,  

• Bay water monitoring stations, and  

• Private oyster leases in the Texas Gulf Coast. 

View the Texas Shellfish Harvest Area Viewer. 

Please see the following step-by-step instructions for using the Texas Shellfish Harvest Area Viewer. 

1. Use the + button on the toolbar to zoom in. Click and drag to move to the shellfish harvest location of interest. 

2. Select an area inside a shellfish harvesting area. A pop-up window will appear with shellfish harvesting area information. 

3. Choose the “More info link” in the shellfish harvesting area pop-up window. You can download a PDF file with a map and legal description of the shellfish harvesting area. 

4. Select a red push pin. A pop-up window will appear with bay water monitoring station information. 

5. Choose a shellfish boundary marker. A pop-up window will appear containing shellfish marker information. 

Read the Texas Shellfish Harvest Area Viewer User Guide.