Chesapeake Bay waters opened earlier this year for oyster harvesting because of high demand resulting from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Virginia Marine Resources Commission spokesman John Bull said harvesting typically starts at oyster grounds on Oct. 1 on a “rotational basis with a staggered opening,” and continuing throughout the fall and winter. But this year, Bull said, all but two areas opened Friday.
“Opening earlier basically allowed the oyster industry to take advantage of higher oyster prices because of what’s happened in the Gulf of Mexico,” Bull said. He said there will not be a longer oyster season, but opening most of the waters early will allow oysters to be “harvested in a wider area and that will help the seafood processors.”
— Anna Waugh
