under his control; each corner shall be clearly
marked and defined with the lessee’s name
clearly attached. Intermediate markers shall be
placed no more than 600 feet apart and plat
(including GPS coordinates of the corners) of
the area filed with the MRD together with a list
of any persons using said lease area (list must be
updated every 30 days). The Director of MRD
may require the leases to be resurveyed every 5
years.
Oyster Aquaculture
Allowed by permit in areas approved by ADPH.
Restrictions
It is unlawful to drag any seines over the public
reefs or private oyster grounds. Oysters taken
commercially must be sacked (not more than ¼
Alabama barrel per sack) and each sack tagged
before l a n d i n g . Tags may be purchased f o r
$0.35/each at MRD Oyster Management
Stations. Oystermen must check out at an
Oyster Management Station before oystering on
Public Bottoms and check back in to the same
Oyster Management Station. Commercially
harvested oyster must be taken to a
designated and certified dealer. No oysters
shall be culled or sacked on board a boat in
waters closed to the harvesting of oysters. No
oysters taken from a public reef shall be culled
upon a private reef. It shall be unlawful to
possess oysters taken from a private lease and
oysters taken from a public reef on board a
boat at the same time. Recreational and
commercially harvested oysters may not be
possessed onboard a vessel in the same trip. It
is illegal to possess empty oyster sacks with
tags attached.
SHELLFISH – CRABS
License expires September 30 of each year.
Licenses
• Commercial - $60.00
• Recreational – Saltwater Fishing License
Required (five traps maximum)
Nonresidents pay the same fee as that charged
Alabama residents to conduct the same activity
in the applicant’s state of residence, or not less
than twice the amount of resident location.
Restrictions
No person, firm, or corporation shall take, catch,
sell, transport, or possess blue crabs that
measure less than five inches (5”) carapace
width as measured from the tip of one lateral
spine to the tip of the opposite lateral spine.
Provided, however, this limitation does not
apply to soft-shelled crabs or to pre-molt crabs if
the pre-molt crabs are taken solely for the
purposes of shedding and held in compliance
with applicable laws and regulations. Exempted
pre-molt crabs shall exhibit, at a minimum, a
pink or red line on the back paddle fin, which is
recognized by the crab industry as a preliminary
pre-molt stage.
Soft-shell or pre-molt crabs must be held in a
separate container, marked “peelers” or
“busters,” from those crabs of legal size while in
the possession of fishermen.
Pre-molt crabs in the possession of, or held by, a
dealer for sale or processing as soft-shell crabs
are exempted from the minimum prescribed size
limit, if identified as pre-molt crabs and held
in separate containers marked “peelers” or
“busters.”
Crabs in a workbox shall not be subject to the
minimum prescribed size limit while aboard the
vessel. Commercial crab fishermen shall be
allowed to have in possession aboard the vessel
two workboxes. Crab boxes which are sealed or
covered, other than by a grader, shall not be
considered a workbox.
Except from January 15 through May 15, all egg
bearing females, otherwise known as gravid,
berried or sponge crabs, must be immediately
returned to the water. Possession of egg bearing
female crabs shall be prohibited with the
exception of January 15 through May 15.
Commercial crab fishermen shall tag or mark
any containers of Alabama crabs in possession,
or that are sold, in a manner which will ensure
that such commercial crab fisherman can be
identified as the person who harvested the crabs.
Such identification required shall be the full
name of the crab fisherman and the number
issued to the commercial crab fisherman by the
MRD and the date on which the crabs were
harvested. All containers of Alabama crabs in
5
marked and defined with the lessee’s name
clearly attached. Intermediate markers shall be
placed no more than 600 feet apart and plat
(including GPS coordinates of the corners) of
the area filed with the MRD together with a list
of any persons using said lease area (list must be
updated every 30 days). The Director of MRD
may require the leases to be resurveyed every 5
years.
Oyster Aquaculture
Allowed by permit in areas approved by ADPH.
Restrictions
It is unlawful to drag any seines over the public
reefs or private oyster grounds. Oysters taken
commercially must be sacked (not more than ¼
Alabama barrel per sack) and each sack tagged
before l a n d i n g . Tags may be purchased f o r
$0.35/each at MRD Oyster Management
Stations. Oystermen must check out at an
Oyster Management Station before oystering on
Public Bottoms and check back in to the same
Oyster Management Station. Commercially
harvested oyster must be taken to a
designated and certified dealer. No oysters
shall be culled or sacked on board a boat in
waters closed to the harvesting of oysters. No
oysters taken from a public reef shall be culled
upon a private reef. It shall be unlawful to
possess oysters taken from a private lease and
oysters taken from a public reef on board a
boat at the same time. Recreational and
commercially harvested oysters may not be
possessed onboard a vessel in the same trip. It
is illegal to possess empty oyster sacks with
tags attached.
SHELLFISH – CRABS
License expires September 30 of each year.
Licenses
• Commercial - $60.00
• Recreational – Saltwater Fishing License
Required (five traps maximum)
Nonresidents pay the same fee as that charged
Alabama residents to conduct the same activity
in the applicant’s state of residence, or not less
than twice the amount of resident location.
Restrictions
No person, firm, or corporation shall take, catch,
sell, transport, or possess blue crabs that
measure less than five inches (5”) carapace
width as measured from the tip of one lateral
spine to the tip of the opposite lateral spine.
Provided, however, this limitation does not
apply to soft-shelled crabs or to pre-molt crabs if
the pre-molt crabs are taken solely for the
purposes of shedding and held in compliance
with applicable laws and regulations. Exempted
pre-molt crabs shall exhibit, at a minimum, a
pink or red line on the back paddle fin, which is
recognized by the crab industry as a preliminary
pre-molt stage.
Soft-shell or pre-molt crabs must be held in a
separate container, marked “peelers” or
“busters,” from those crabs of legal size while in
the possession of fishermen.
Pre-molt crabs in the possession of, or held by, a
dealer for sale or processing as soft-shell crabs
are exempted from the minimum prescribed size
limit, if identified as pre-molt crabs and held
in separate containers marked “peelers” or
“busters.”
Crabs in a workbox shall not be subject to the
minimum prescribed size limit while aboard the
vessel. Commercial crab fishermen shall be
allowed to have in possession aboard the vessel
two workboxes. Crab boxes which are sealed or
covered, other than by a grader, shall not be
considered a workbox.
Except from January 15 through May 15, all egg
bearing females, otherwise known as gravid,
berried or sponge crabs, must be immediately
returned to the water. Possession of egg bearing
female crabs shall be prohibited with the
exception of January 15 through May 15.
Commercial crab fishermen shall tag or mark
any containers of Alabama crabs in possession,
or that are sold, in a manner which will ensure
that such commercial crab fisherman can be
identified as the person who harvested the crabs.
Such identification required shall be the full
name of the crab fisherman and the number
issued to the commercial crab fisherman by the
MRD and the date on which the crabs were
harvested. All containers of Alabama crabs in
5