Species profile
Eastern Oyster
Crassostrea virginica
At a glance
Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is a bivalve mollusk regulated in 16 of 66 jurisdictions tracked by CatchRules across the U.S. and Canada.
The strictest bag limit is 0.5 (New York); the most generous is 100 (Alabama).
Across 8 jurisdictions with stated minimum sizes, the average minimum is 2.6 in.
Confirmed by 11,937 research-grade iNaturalist observations, with Florida, New York, and Massachusetts the top jurisdictions by observation count.
Notable details
- A single adult can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.
- Starts life as a male and can switch to female as it grows older.
- Dense reef colonies provide habitat for over 300 associated species.
- Larvae must settle on existing oyster shell — called cultch — to survive.
- Ancient shell middens from Indigenous harvests can reach dozens of feet in height.
Where Eastern Oyster are seen
Jurisdictions with rules for Eastern Oyster
Background
The eastern oyster —also called the Atlantic oyster, American oyster, or East Coast oyster—is a species of true oyster native to eastern North and South America. Other names in local or culinary use include the Wellfleet oyster, Virginia oyster, Malpeque oyster, Blue Point oyster, Chesapeake Bay oyster, and Apalachicola oyster. C. virginica ranges from northern New Brunswick south through parts…
Background excerpt adapted from Wikipedia's Eastern Oyster article (CC BY-SA). Visit Wikipedia for the full entry.
Other clams/oysters/mussels on CatchRules
Photo credit: iNaturalist / Wikipedia. Identification reference only — verify regulations with the issuing wildlife agency before retaining a catch.