GALVESTON, Texas, Nov 28 (Reuters) - For the second year in a row, Texas has closed the majority of its public oyster reefs for harvesting due to declining populations. DECLINING POPULATIONSScientists estimate at least 85% of the world's oyster reefs have been lost, largely to overharvesting and disease. To harvest oysters, boats drag an underwater dredge across oyster reefs, collecting reef material that is dumped onto the boat. But dredging destroys the oyster reefs, which are also a habitat for fish and crabs, says the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. "And so, especially in the past decade, we've seen impacts from both harvest and heavy rainfall, heavy drought impacting those oyster populations."

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Persons: Joel Gutierrez, Oysterman Romeo Bilcic, we've, Zach Olsen, TPWD, Olsen, we're, Jennifer Pollack, it's, Evan Garcia, Christina Anagnostopoulos, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, state's Department of Health, Human Services, Oceanic, Atmospheric Association, Reuters, Texas, M University, Corpus Christi, Thomson Locations: GALVESTON , Texas, Texas, Galveston, Galveston , Texas, Galveston Bay