Oyster harvesters in the US state of Mississippi will have something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, as harvesting will open again in certain areas on Nov. 13, 2024 -- a first since 2018, reports the Associated Press.

The 2024 season will be limited to a maximum of 10 harvest days, per the notice from by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR). Daily harvest limits are 10 sacks per vessel for both commercial oyster tonging and dredging vessels. Fishermen are required to check In at a designated check station prior to harvest.

The opening -- especially ahead of the holidays -- is a big deal considering that harvesters haven't participated in an oyster season in over five years as a result of the 2010 BP oil spill and the opening of the Bonnet Carre spillway the following year to prevent the Mississippi River from flooding. As ProPublica explained, damage from the oil spill was still being assessed when the opening of the waterway killed 85% of the oysters in the Mississippi Sound.

The Bonnet Carre Spillway reopened multiple times in 2019, causing additional mass mortalities of oysters in state public reefs, as reported by Mississippi State University. But the state has been seeing some improvements in the years since then.

"Through our monitoring efforts, we have seen positive growth over the last couple of years and are ready to open a limited season in certain areas," Joe Spraggins, director of the Mississippi DMR, told Sun Herald. "The season is to provide some access to the industry and get Mississippi oysters on the market."

While Mississippi may not have been able to offer wild oysters these past few years, the state does have an off-bottom oyster aquaculture program. The program, launched by the state's DMR, allows oyster farmers to cultivate oysters in mesh containers suspended above the seafloor. Currently, the DMR manages 466 acres located south of Deer Island.