A recursive model of the price formation process in the marketing system for oysters in the Chesapeake Bay was developed. The model explained over 90 percent of the annual variation in the retail price, wholesale price, and the ex-vessel price of oysters. Disposable income and the consumer price index for fish sigificantly influenced the retail price of oysters; the retail price, landings in the Chesapeake Bay, and marketing costs significantly influenced the ex-vessel price of oysters. The impact of oyster consumption on the retail price, the impact of landings from outside the Chesapeake Bay on the wholesale price, and the impact of landings in the Chesapeake Bay on the ex-vessel price were not statistically different from zero.