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The above is courtesy of the The Guide to Shellfishing in Massachusetts Produced by the Massachusetts Shellfish Officers Association and the Barnstable County Cooperative Extension)
Crassostrea virginica, American oyster
Oysters are found on hard, sandy bottom or on rocks and piers. Most oysters can be picked off the bottom by hand at low tide and others can be harvested with a quahog or box rake. Legal harvest size is 3 inches and a maximum weekly limit of 10 quarts (of all shellfish combined) is allowed. Serve on the half-shell or in stew.
Learn more at the Marine Biological Laboratory.
An oyster bed. 1969. Photograph by Bob Williams.
(National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Photo Library)
Go to the Recreational Shellfishing Section