The New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, with the advice of the Atlantic Coast Section of the New Jersey Shellfisheries Council, will open the oyster beds located at the mouth of the Mullica River, known as Fitney Bit, Oysterbed Point and the Reef Bed, to a limited three day oyster harvest season. (See charts below.) The season will commence on Thursday, November 3, 2011 and end on Saturday, November 5, 2011 (daily harvest times are sunrise to sunset). The harvest is open to all commercial and recreational shellfish license holders.

Recreational shellfish license holders will be limited to 150 oysters or clams, in aggregate, per day. As per the Atlantic Coast Harvest Season regulations (NJAC 7:25-19.5), shellfish harvest will be limited to hand tongs only. The decision to open these oyster beds for a limited fall harvest season was based on the Bureau of Shellfisheries review of bed conditions (% oyster), mortality and growth of the transplanted oysters.

The Mullica River oyster intermediate transplant project was initiated in the fall of 2001 when approximately 2,000 bushels of seed oysters were transplanted from the natural oyster seed beds in the Mullica River to a four acre parcel on Fitney Bit located at the mouth of the Mullica River. Subsequent 2,000-bushel transplants were also completed in the spring and fall of 2006 on two additional four-acre parcels located on the Reef Bed and again on Fitney Bit. These efforts were an attempt to restore extant historic oyster beds in the Mullica River and to provide the public with an opportunity to harvest oysters along the Atlantic Coast of New Jersey.

If there are any questions regarding this oyster harvest season, please contact the Nacote Creek Shellfish Office at 609-748-2040.

Oyster Bed Charts