Eastern Oysters
Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) occur in coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, from Canada to Mexico. Oysters are filter-feeders and can clean large volumes of water over a relatively short period of time. Reef structures formed by oysters are complex and provide refuge for hundreds of other species, including the juvenile stages of several fishes. The bulk of eastern oyster harvesting in Florida occurs on the Gulf coast, primarily in the Panhandle and Big Bend regions.
Map of current oyster sites monitored by the Molluscan Fisheries
group at the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
Species accounts provide a summary of biology and fishery
information. The accounts provide life history information,
statewide landings, trends in catch rates, and results of recent
stock assessments.
Publications of the Molluscan Fisheries Group.
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