Florida Oysters, Clams and Shrimping: Seasons, Limits and Areas by County

Quick answer: Florida oysters are closed July 1 – September 30 (June 1 – August 31 in Dixie, Levy and Wakulla counties), 2 bags a person a day; hard clams are open all year, 5 gallons a day — both only where FDACS has the area open. Shrimp is open all year but for closures in the Northeast and Apalachicola Bay.

How to use it

Pick oysters, clams or shrimp, your county and the day; Florida’s today is filled in. The answer says whether FWC’s season is open that day in your county, with the bag limit and the size, and the line under it says where the open or closed status of the water comes from. Below it: FWC’s own sentences for your case and, for oysters and clams, the link to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) page that posts your region’s status every day.

Oysters and clams: the season is FWC’s, the water is FDACS’s

FWC sets the seasons and limits. Where you may rake is FDACS’s call, area by area. In FWC’s words: “All harvest prohibited when shellfish harvesting areas are in the closed status as determined by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.” and oysters “can only be legally harvested in specific shellfish harvesting areas that are classified as “approved” or “conditionally approved” and in the “open” status.” FWC adds: “The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) may temporarily close Shellfish Harvesting Areas during the open season due to a variety of reasons, including rainfall, higher river levels, and harmful algal blooms.” An area that is open one day can be closed the next, so check FDACS’s page for your region on the day you go; this tool tells you which region, and never says an area is open.

The regions are FWC’s list, each from its own sentence (“Western Gulf: from Pensacola Bay in Escambia County to East Bay in Bay County” and so on). FWC names none in Jefferson, Taylor, Hernando, Pasco, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, Duval, Nassau, Putnam, Clay County.

Oysters

FWC: “Two bags per person or vessel, whichever is less, per day.” “One bag is equal to two 5-gallon buckets, one 10-gallon bucket, or 60 pounds.” “Minimum size: 3 inches” “Harvest by hand or tong only.” The closed seasons: “Dixie, Levy and Wakulla counties: Closed June 1 – Aug. 31” and “Statewide, excluding Dixie, Levy and Wakulla counties and Apalachicola Bay: Closed July 1 – Sept. 30”

Apalachicola Bay has its own rules: “Apalachicola Bay will be closed to wild oyster harvest through September 30, 2026.” “Harvest will open to Apalachicola Bay Recreational Opportunity (ABRO) Permit holders on Oct. 1, 2026.” “Open Season: Oct. 1, 2026 – Feb. 28, 2027” “Harvest Days: Saturday – Sunday” “ABRO Permits and harvest reefs will be selected through a lottery.” Outside the bay, Franklin County follows the statewide season.

Hard clams

FWC: “Open year-round”, at least “1-inch thick across the hinge”, 5 gallons of hard clams, unshucked, a person a day, and “Vessel Limit: 10 gallons of hard clams, unshucked, per day.”

Shrimp

FWC: “Northeast Region (inside waters of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler, and Clay counties): closed April 1 through May 31.” “Northwest Region (a portion of Apalachicola Bay, Franklin County): closed March 1 through May 31 and September 15 through December 31” “Northwest Region (all of Apalachicola Bay and St. Vincent Sound, Franklin County): harvest prohibited between sunrise and sunset from July 15 through September 14.” “All other regions (Southeast and Southwest) open year-round.” The limits: “Within the Big Bend Region, individuals can take 2 gallons (heads on) per person or 5 gallons (heads on) per vessel.” “Within all other state waters, individuals can take 5 gallons (heads on) per harvester or 5 gallons (heads on) per vessel.” The Big Bend stretch on FWC’s map: “A map depicting the boundary of the Big Bend Shrimp Closed Area, which includes a portion of state waters south and east of the St. Marks Lighthouse in Wakulla County and north of Bailey’s Bluff in New Port Richey.” A cast net may be up to 14 feet: “Cast net with a stretched length (the distance from the horn at the center of the net, with the net gathered and pulled taut, to the lead line) no greater than 14 feet.”

Worked examples

Oysters at Cedar Key (Levy County) on July 4. Closed: Levy County’s oyster season is closed June 1 – August 31.

Oysters in Franklin County on Saturday, October 10, 2026. In season outside Apalachicola Bay; in the bay itself, ABRO permit holders only, on a Saturday or Sunday.

Shrimping in Duval County on April 10. Closed in the inside waters, April 1 – May 31.

Clams in Lee County. Open all year: 5 gallons a person a day, 10 a boat, at least 1 inch thick across the hinge, where FDACS’s Southern Gulf page says the area is open.

Common mistakes

• Taking an open season for open water. The season is FWC’s; whether your area is open that day is FDACS’s.
• Using the statewide oyster dates in Dixie, Levy or Wakulla County, where the closed season is June 1 – August 31, not July 1 – September 30.
• Raking Apalachicola Bay’s oysters without an ABRO permit, or on a weekday.
• Shrimping the inside waters of Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler or Clay County in April or May.

Plan the rest of the trip

Read whether Cedar Key is worth visiting, the small beach towns of the Panhandle and the seafood shacks of Key West. The Florida Fishing License checker says whether you need a license, and the Florida Crabbing Season and Florida Scallop Season checkers do the same for crabs and scallops.