An official website of the State of Georgia.
Georgia’s territorial waters will remain closed to commercial and recreational oyster harvest beginning at 6 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, because coastal water temperatures remain above the threshold established to protect public health, the Coastal Resources Division (CRD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today.
The closure will remain in effect until water temperatures fall below 81 degrees and conditions warrant reopening.
Higher-than-average coastal water temperatures during September prompted DNR to extend the state’s annual oyster harvest closure, which normally runs from June through September.
“This extended closure ensures that Georgia continues to meet the requirements of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program and helps protect public health,” said Dominic Guadagnoli, shellfish fishery manager for CRD.
Georgia’s oyster harvest closure is part of the state’s Vibrio parahaemolyticus, or "Vp," control plan. Vp is a naturally occurring bacterium found in coastal waters and filter-feeding shellfish, with concentrations generally increasing as water temperatures rise.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Vp illnesses are most commonly associated with eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters. Symptoms can include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills. Thorough cooking generally destroys Vibrio bacteria.
The harvest of clams from approved shellfish harvesting areas will remain open during the extended oyster closure.
“Unlike oysters, which are frequently consumed raw, clams are typically cooked at high temperatures, which greatly reduces the risk associated with Vp bacteria,” Guadagnoli said.
CRD staff will continue monitoring coastal water temperatures daily and will reopen oyster harvest as soon as conditions meet the requirements of the state’s Vp control plan.
For more information about the oyster harvest closure, contact the Coastal Resources Division at 912-264-7218.
