The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has announced that rotational harvest cultch sites in the Pamlico Sound remain open for mechanical oyster harvesting. This comes as the season has closed in all other mechanical oyster harvest management areas.
Under Amendment 5 to the N.C. Oyster Fishery Management Plan, the division closed mechanical oyster harvest seasons in the bays of the Neuse River, Pamlico River, and Northern Hyde management areas on January 9, 2026. Additional closures followed in open waters of the Pamlico River and Neuse River Areas on January 16, 2026, and in the Northern Hyde Area on January 30, 2026, through Proclamation SF-7-2025. However, rotational harvest cultch sites designated in Proclamation SF-4-2025 will stay open to harvest through March 31, 2026, unless closed sooner by proclamation.
These ten-acre sites are part of an adaptive management framework under Amendment 5. The approach aims to balance harvesting opportunities with sustainability by allowing collection on managed cultch planting sites while protecting oyster habitats elsewhere in Pamlico Sound. The rotational harvest cultch sites are marked with buoys and orange flags to indicate where mechanical harvesting is permitted. Daily harvest limits at these sites match those of adjacent areas as outlined in Proclamation SF-4-2025.
The following rotational harvest cultch sites remain open for mechanical oyster harvesting:
Turnagain Bay #1 (Neuse River Management Area) allows up to 15 bushels per day.
Jones Bay #1 (Neuse River Management Area) allows up to 10 bushels per day.
Crab Hole #2 (Northern Dare Management Area) allows up to 15 bushels per day.
Swan Quarter #2 (Pamlico River Management Area) allows up to 15 bushels per day.
Mechanical harvesting at these locations is permitted Monday through Friday from sunrise until 2 p.m., following existing gear, tagging, and size limit requirements.
“Rotational harvest cultch sites provide continued harvest opportunities later in the season while supporting the Division’s extensive cultch planting program and long-term management goals for the oyster resource outlined in Amendment 5,” according to the Division of Marine Fisheries.
For more information about Amendment 5’s adaptive management framework or current oyster harvest seasons and restrictions, visit https://www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/marine-fisheries/managing-fisheries/fishery-management-plans/eastern-oyster/information-eastern-oyster-amendment-5.
The Department of Environmental Quality serves as a state agency focused on regulating and protecting North Carolina’s natural resources and environmental quality. Its regulatory authority covers air, land, water, and coastal environments throughout North Carolina while providing services such as air quality regulation, permit issuance, environmental law enforcement, waste management, and water resource oversight. The department also supports public education and environmental compliance efforts aimed at fostering community awareness across North Carolina. More details can be found at https://www.deq.nc.gov/.
The central office for the Department of Environmental Quality is located at 217 West Jones Street in Raleigh.
