Alabama’s shellfish aquaculture industry produces eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) through off-bottom farming techniques, including adjustable long-line and floating cage systems.

*2023 estimate based on meat pounds reported from the Alabama Department of Marine Resources

Highlights for 2024

• Thirteen commercial oyster aquaculture operations reported harvests Alabama, ten of which provided 2024 harvest numbers and prices.
• An estimated 10.2 million farmed single market oysters were harvested.
• Price realized ranged from 43 cents to 65 cents each with an average of 56 cents each.
• An estimated value of $5.9 million for Alabama oyster aquaculture based on number of oysters sold and average price realized.
• Two commercial hatcheries and two commercial nurseries were operational in Alabama.
• Sixty-seven acres were permitted for commercial oyster aquaculture with 57 acres used in production.

*2023 estimate based on meat pounds reported from the Alabama Department of Marine Resources

Russell Grice, Extension Specialist, Aquaculture Business, Auburn University Shellfish Lab, Mississippi Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, and Andrea Tarnecki, Assistant Extension Professor, Auburn University Shellfish Lab, both with Auburn University.

Revised Revised March 2026, Alabama Shellfish Aquaculture Update: Production Year 2024, ANR-2997

Acknowledgments: This publication was prepared by the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium using federal funds under award NA18OAR4170080 from the National Sea Grant Office, NOAA, US Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Sea Grant Office, NOAA, US Department of Commerce.

This update is based on data obtained from participating commercial farms, the Auburn University Shellfish Lab, and the Alabama State Lands Division Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.