Fishermen sue Mississippi over plan to lease oyster reefs

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A group of more than 20 fishermen, led by Mississippi Commercial Fisheries United Inc., a nonprofit trade organization, are suing the state over its attempts to lease historically public oyster reefs in the Mississippi Sound.

In a statement, MSCFU cited a 2024 bill that allows private individuals and companies to lease up to 80% of Mississippi's natural oyster reefs.

“Over the past several years, the Mississippi State Legislature has attempted to implement an unconstitutional private leasing regime," the statement read. “These vague and discriminatory acts, if implemented, would unjustly exclude our current oyster fishing families from their direct access to harvest from reefs that they rely upon for their livelihoods.”

The lawsuit, filed in Harrison County on Thursday, also names the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and its Executive Director Joe Spraggins as defendants.

When reached for comment, MDMR referred The Associated Press to the Mississippi Attorney General's office, which said it could not comment on active litigation.

MDMR frames the leasing plan as a way to increase oyster production “while ensuring compliance and environmental and conservation requirements.”

The lawsuit comes as the state's oyster industry is recovering after massive freshwater flooding, released through Louisianna's Bonnet Carré Spillway, killed almost all the oysters on Mississippi’s most productive reefs in 2019.