MDMR to host open enrollment for oyster relay

BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will host an open enrollment period for oyster fishermen to take part in an upcoming oyster relay at the Pascagoula Causeway Reef in Jackson County. The open enrollment period, for both tongers and dredgers, will be held December 4 – 7 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Bolton Building, located at 1141 Bayview Ave. in Biloxi.

To qualify, applicants must be Mississippi residents and possess a current commercial Oyster Dredge or Tonging License. Participants also had to have a Mississippi Resident Commercial Oyster License during the 2011-2012 license year, which runs from April 1 through March 31.

Applicants also must have had a valid license in one of the following years: 2007-2008, 2008-2009 or 2009-2010.

For more information, call 228-374-5000.

The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at dmr.ms.gov.