Photo by William Whaley, submitted to Maryland DNR Photo Contest.
Extended season is being put in place to help watermen who have been unable to harvest due to ice-covered waterways
Maryland 2026 - Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources is moving forward with a two-week extension of the commercial oyster season to help watermen make up for lost harvesting opportunities after many waterways and parts of the Chesapeake Bay froze during frigid temperatures in January and early February.
The change will extend the state’s commercial oyster season to April 14 this year. It was originally scheduled to end on March 31. Under the extension, all current gear restrictions and bushel limits will remain in effect. Handscraping for oysters in hand tong areas is not permitted under the extension.
“Maryland’s watermen have faced a difficult oyster season after recent declines in market demand and ice on waterways blocked access to traditional harvest areas,” said DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz. “This oyster season extension will give them additional opportunities to boost their livelihoods and the local communities where they live. DNR made this decision after extensive conversations with industry stakeholders and scientists. Coordinated oyster restoration and management efforts led by DNR have resulted in a multi-year increase of the overall oyster population in Maryland. We are confident that extending the season will not affect the ongoing resurgence of oysters in the Bay and local rivers.”
Oyster populations in Maryland are in the midst of a multi-year increase and are at their highest levels in more than two decades. The 2025 Maryland oyster stock assessment found that adult oyster populations in state waters had more than tripled to 7.6 billion oysters since a low of 2.4 billion oysters in 2005.
The fall oyster spat survey, which documents how well oysters are reproducing, showed solid reproduction in 2024 after a record year in 2023 where oyster spat–or baby oysters–were documented at levels not seen in a generation in some places. In 2023, scientists recorded widespread spat distribution throughout the Bay and rivers as well as approximately 87 spat per bushel–nearly four times the median of 23.6 spat per bushel.
Prior to issuing the extension, DNR received a request to extend the commercial oyster season from the State Oyster Committee, which is composed of representatives from county oyster committees. The chair of DNR’s Tidal Fish Advisory Commission, which consists of commercial watermen and seafood dealers, reviewed and supported the requested extension and then submitted it to DNR for further consideration.
Chesapeake Bay ice coverage on Feb. 10. Map by National Ice Center
DNR is well aware of the ice impacts on Maryland waterways. Agency staff led ice-breaking operations on waterways using two different state vessels this winter to ensure navigation channels remained open and to help watermen access fishing grounds. Even with staff working around the clock to break ice, the frigid conditions led to waters quickly refreezing and kept many commercial fishing boats tied up at the dock and unable to harvest.
The extension will also support watermen during a difficult market for oysters. Despite wide availability of oysters in harvest areas, oyster sellers have not been buying as many oysters, according to reports from watermen. Many watermen have said oyster buyers during the previous two years have only been buying oysters from harvesters as little as one day per week, and sometimes less.
Marylanders can help watermen and local communities that depend on commercial fishing by purchasing Maryland oysters at seafood markets and restaurants.
DNR Sec. Josh Kurtz approved the two-week extension to the oyster season on Thursday and DNR posted the public notice on its website the same day. The new rule for the extension will be effective on February 23, 2026, and extends the commercial oyster season for all gear types through April 14, 2026. This does not impact the recreational oyster season, which ends March 31.
Maryland’s Department of Health, Department of the Environment, and DNR coordinate closely and continuously to ensure that Maryland’s oyster-growing waters meet health and safety standards for shellfish harvesting under the National Shellfish Sanitation Program. This program ensures federal, state, and local agencies test shellfish growing waters regularly and oversee harvesting and processing to ensure oysters are safe to eat.
