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The Texas Tribune
The Texas Tribune
National
Alejandra Martinez

Oyster harvesters hit hard as Texas closes reefs for conservation and public health

Editor's note, Dec. 21, 2022: An earlier version of this article included material, without proper attribution, from an article by Houston Public Media. The article has been updated and The Texas Tribune regrets the error.

Alex Gutierrez, an oyster fisherman, poses for a portrait while conducting routine maintenance on his boat after the Texas Department of State Health Services ordered a recall for oysters harvested in the area of southeastern Galveston Bay in San Leon, Texas, U.S., on Thursday, December 15, 2022.
Alex Gutierrez, an oyster harvester, conducts routine maintenance on his boat Thursday in San Leon. Gutierrez said he and everyone else who depends on Gulf of Mexico oysters for their livelihood are going to suffer major economic losses after the state shut down several harvesting areas. (Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune)

Alex Gutierrez is heartbroken. The 54-year-old oyster harvester from Galveston hasn’t been fishing in days, after a recent order by the Texas Department of State Health Services to recall oysters harvested from a certain area left him without work.

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