Biloxi, MISS.—For years, Mississippi’s oyster industry has faced a cascade of challenges—from declining harvests and environmental degradation to rising operational costs and economic uncertainty. The state invested in reef restoration efforts and explored private leasing as a potential solution, but fishermen believe their voices are no longer being heard in policy discussions. 

At the center of this disconnect lies the Mississippi Oyster Task Force. Once a vital platform where oyster fishermen, environmental groups and policymakers collaborated to guide decisions, the task force now exists in name only. Structural changes at the legislative level have weakened its role, leaving stakeholders increasingly removed from the decision-making process. 

What is the task force? 

Established in 2009, the task force provided a direct line of communication between oyster industry representatives and regulators. It advised the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources (MCMR), which had decision-making authority over marine resource policies. 

“Well, that was a thing that they made to try to meet with fishermen to discuss what the going forth for the reef was going to be like, have ideas input from people that that did it and that had knowledge of it,” said John Livings, local fisherman and chairman of the Oyster Task Force.  

The task force included representatives from various parts of the industry: oyster fishermen, environmental organizations, personnel from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) and members from the state legislature. 

“Together they were able to review what’s happening with our oyster resources and make policy recommendations to decision-makers,” explained Ryan Bradley, executive director of Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United, a non-profit organization that advocates for the commercial fishing industry in Mississippi. 

Fishermen, scientists and lawmakers within the Oyster Task Force worked together to balance environmental concerns with industry needs. However, that system has since changed. 

Changes over time 

In 2020, House Bill 827 restructured the MCMR, making it advisory-only. This shift meant the Oyster Task Force—and similar advisory groups for crabs, gear types, and for-hire fisheries—were now advising an entity that no longer had regulatory power. With no direct connection to decision-makers, the task force’s influence diminished. 

Following this change, the MDMR stopped convening task force meetings, leaving it up to task force chairpersons to organize them.  

“We let them know that we still support them. We still are there as technical advisors,” said Rick Burris, chief scientific officer at the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. “We would facilitate any meeting they ever wanted, providing all the technology and everything they need, the room space, and be there for, like I said, technical guidance.”  

Although MDMR has indicated a willingness to facilitate meetings, no official convening of any task force has happened since 2020. Despite a few attempts from John Livings, chairman of the Oyster Task Force, no meeting has been held.  

“So all those task forces, they were never dissolved, but, they were basically given over to those stakeholders,” Burris explained. “The chairmen of the task forces were contacted and we basically would lay it out for them that, you know, with the commission now being an advisory roll, you haven’t been dissolved, but, we’re going to operate a little bit differently.” 

Livings described what those changes meant for the task force: “They used to do more meetings whenever in the previous one, but they redid the task force, and then they were voted in. They changed. They just, I don’t know if they weren’t happy. I don’t, I don’t know what happened.” 

The Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources is still composed of representatives from multiple sectors, including the MDMR, commercial fishing, charter boats, recreational sports fishermen, commercial seafood processors and nonprofit environmental organizations. However, with its transition to an advisory role, the actual decision-making power now resides with lawmakers and the MDMR, reducing the direct influence of the commission and task forces. 

 “We used to have a commission that had representative stakeholders from across all the different sectors,” Bradley said, referring to the people in charge of making regulations. “Now the legislators are exercising more control from Jackson, for better or for worse.” 

Comparing Mississippi to Louisiana 

Both Mississippi and Louisiana established Oyster Task Forces to bring together stakeholders to shape policy recommendations. However, the functionality and influence of these task forces have diverged significantly over time. 

A defining difference is Louisiana’s consistent support and funding for its task force, ensuring regular meetings and active engagement with policymakers. 

“Louisiana relies heavily on their Oyster Task Force. In fact, their legislature provides significant funding each year to make sure that task force can meet adequately to provide guidance on the state of Louisiana’s oyster fishery management,” said Bradley. 

Louisiana’s task force operates with a more structured role, not only making recommendations to various state agencies but also overseeing funding distribution through the Oyster Development Fund. This framework allows Louisiana’s oyster industry to have a direct, ongoing influence on regulatory and financial decisions. 

This approach in Louisiana serves as a model that some stakeholders, like Bradley, believe Mississippi should adopt to enhance its own oyster industry. 

“I would like to see our legislature constitute an oyster task force the same way that Louisiana and their legislature has constituted theirs and provide funding for that,” Bradley said. 

Mississippi’s current structure lacks a dedicated funding mechanism, further diminishing the task force’s ability to convene regularly and act as a unified voice for the industry. The absence of an active task force means policy decisions affecting Mississippi’s oyster industry are now made with limited direct input from those within it.  

Where do we stand now? 

Mississippi’s oyster industry continues to face mounting challenges, from environmental pressures to regulatory shifts.  

The structural changes that weakened the task force’s role have left industry representatives—fishermen, environmental advocates and business owners—without a formal platform to influence policy. With both the Mississippi Advisory Commission on Marine Resources and the Oyster Task Force functioning solely as advisory bodies, real regulatory authority has shifted to the MDMR and legislators. 

This disconnect has led to growing calls from fishermen for the task force’s revival. 

“What’s happened with our commission since they’ve gone advisory is that we’ve lost stakeholder input,” Bradley said. “A standing oyster task force here in Mississippi would certainly help to regain that stakeholder input, which we believe is very important to successful management of our state resource.” 

With Mississippi’s oyster industry at a crossroads, task force advocates say reactivating the task force could provide much-needed guidance, ensuring that those directly impacted by regulatory decisions once again have a seat at the table. Without it, they fear, the state risks continuing down a path where policy is made without meaningful industry engagement.