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MDE Fish Consumption Advisory Information

2025/2026 Oyster License Information

  1. Oyster license sales will start on October 1, 2025. If you had a license for last season, you will be receiving a renewal application in the mail.
  2. Oyster bushel tags will be .50/tag whether you purchase bulk or individual.
  3. Harvesters: You are required to sell all commercially harvested oysters to a PRFC registered buyer. It is your responsibility to ensure that your buyer has purchased their current season’s license before selling to them.
  4. Buyers: You are required to purchase your current season’s registered oyster buyer license from the PRFC prior to purchasing oysters from harvesters in the Potomac River. You must also be on the FDA Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List.
The Potomac River Fisheries Commission coordinates regulations with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, (DGIF) and with the other Atlantic coastal states through the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).