At the request of the Harbormaster, the Board of Selectmen reopened oystering in Wareham Tuesday night.

In response to a depleting stock, commercial oystering was shut down in December 2012. Recreational oystering was shut down soon after in January 2013.

"We've done two years with closures. We're allowed up to three, but I think we can crawl into starting to get the fishery going again," said Harbormaster Garry Buckminster.

The state allows oyster fisheries to be closed a total of three years, but Selectmen voted last year to end the closure after two. At a Selectmen meeting last October, Buckminster said, "It's a fishery that's been here over 100 years . . . We're really doing what we can to protect it."

On Tuesday, Buckminster recommended a limited harvest to Selectmen. He said the guidelines for commercial oystering would allow for two days of harvesting a week and one bushel per day.

At Buckminster's request, Selectmen also reinstated a shellfish management area around Onset Island that was previously open from the mid 1990s to 2004.

"We had a management area there in the past and we're reinstating the same exact lines, same locations as it was previously," Buckminster said.

That area was reinstated strictly for oyster fishing. Commercial fisherman would be allowed one day of their choice in the location.

"That's going to be up to them because they're obviously out there all day long I'd like them to be able to have that choice on weather conditions and safety," Buckminster said.

He said recreational oystering in that area would only be allowed on Saturdays and are allowed up to one level peck.