By virtue of the authority vested in the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) under the provisions of §49-15-84.1 Mississippi Code of 1972 Annotated, the MDMR does hereby declare and order on January 11, 2024 that:
All Mississippi state waters located within one half (1/2) mile of the mainland shoreline from the Alabama/Mississippi border to the Mississippi/Louisiana border including any river, bayou, creek, canal, stream, tributary, lake, bay, inlet, channel, or other water source entering into areas defined as salt waters under the territorial jurisdiction of the MDMR shall close to commercial and recreational crab trap fishing at 6:00 a.m. Thursday, February 15, 2024 and shall remain closed until 6:00 a.m. Sunday, February 25, 2024.
The first seven days of the closure shall be a period of time for commercial and recreational crab fishermen to remove their own traps from closed waters and crabs may be retained during this period. Any crab trap remaining in the water after the expiration of the seventh day (February 2l5t) of the closed season shall be considered abandoned and can be removed (starting on February 22nd and ending on February 24th) for proper disposal at designated sites.
