Want to harvest oysters in South Carolina? Here’s how to avoid getting slapped with a fine
Most everything that’s pulled from the earth and makes it to the kitchen table comes with a set of rules.
In this case, it’s oysters. And in the good Lowcountry tradition, the stubborn-to-crack shellfish are piled on a shucking table.
Plucked from razor-sharp reefs that are submerged in a salt marshes’ thick pluff mud, harvesting oysters is for the patient and well-versed in the practice. It’s also for harvesters who understand that the world is not actually their oyster. Oyster harvesting is, instead, a world that is regulated by the state.
From the recreational harvesting season kick-off at the start of October to its shuttering on May 15, the rules stay the same. Time of day is regulated. Quantity comes with limits. Harvesting methods are specific. And not every location is fair game for licensed recreational harvesters.
Get caught violating South Carolina’s shellfish harvesting laws as a recreational harvesters? It’ll come with a cost.
What times are off-limits?
It is illegal to harvest shellfish between the half-hour after the sun sets and the half-hour before the sun rises.
How many oysters can you take?
For recreational harvesting, harvesters can take two bushels — 16 gallons — of oysters in day, limited to two calendar days per seven-day period. Each boat or vehicle can have up to three personal limits.
What’s the suggested harvesting method?
While South Carolina does not enforce a specific oyster harvesting method, it encourages harvesters to cull in place, which means breaking off and leaving dead shell and smaller oysters. The practice also includes and only taking clusters or singles of larger oysters. Culling in place allows for a healthier habitat for future oysters to grow, according the state’s Department of Natural Resources.
It is illegal to use scoops, scrapes, tongs, or dredges to take shellfish without a permit.
Where are the closed shellfish beds?
SCDNR provides an online map of recreational harvest sites. At times, because of weather events, spills or unsafe levels of bacteria, certain sites can close. It’s best practice to check the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s online map for shellfish harvest closures before you head out to harvest.
Harvesters with a Saltwater Recreational Fishing License can pluck up oysters from state shellfish grounds (labeled with an S on the online map). They can also harvest from public shellfish grounds (indicated by an R). Many public (recreational-only) and state shellfish grounds are marked with signs, according to SCDNR.
Need a license?
Before heading out to harvest, triple-check that your state-issued Saltwater Fishing License is among your gear. To legally recreationally harvest, a license must be in possession.
A South Carolina Saltwater Fishing License is not necessary for people younger than 16 or residents holding a valid Gratis Over 65 or Gratis Disability License.
The costs for licenses are:
Resident annual $15
Resident three-year $45
Nonresident annual $75
Nonresident seven-day $35
Nonresident one-day $10
Violation fines
Recreational harvesters taking shellfish from a public shellfish ground for commercial purposes or selling or attempting to sell can face a misdemeanor charge and, upon conviction, will be fined between $100 and $500 or imprisoned for up to 30 days, according to state law.
Taking beyond recreational harvest shellfish limits is a misdemeanor that carries, upon conviction, a fine between $25 and $200 or imprisonment for up to 30 days.
A full list of state shellfish harvesting laws can be found on the South Carolina Legislature’s website.
What to do with oyster shells
Once the oyster goodness is slurped from its vessel and the stinky shells remain, most people want to immediately toss the shells in the trash. But don’t.
Only 10% of oyster shells removed are returned to the state’s waterways, according the Coastal Conservation League. In order for baby oysters to grow, the spat need a hard, shell-like surface to attach to, the league said. But when there aren’t enough shells recycled back to the waterways, it limits oyster population growth.
Maintaining a healthy oyster population allows for other species to have habitats, and the bivalves’ shells filter water and stymie erosion.
SCDNR’s statewide oyster shell recycling program lets people off load shells at locations along the state’s coast. Pickup services for hefty amounts of shell may be available.
Recyclers are urged to separate shells from trash and keep shells in a porous container to reduce odors as they dry for the recommended six months. Live oysters should not be tossed back into waters and neither should freshly-shucked shells.
