Fall not only brings the cooler weather, great fishing, and college football, as of September 17th it is also the start of shellfish season. The summer time crowds are starting to thin in our waterways becoming most low country natives favorite time of the year to spend time enjoying our bountiful estuaries. Like most I enjoy eating local seafood, but half the enjoyment is catching and harvesting my own diner from our ecosystem.
South Carolina shellfish (oyster and clam) season runs from September 17th - May 15th unless conditions warrant extending or shortening the season. To harvest shellfish (oysters and clams) in South Carolina a salt-water fishing stamp is required if you over the age of 16. Oysters have a limit of 2 bushels per day, and clams ½ bushels per day only harvesting 2 days out of a 7-day period. Possession limits are 3 personal limits per boat, with no harvesting ½ hour before or after legal sunrise or sunset. Check state shellfish maps online to find the nearest harvest location. Be careful while picking our native cluster oyster, because the edges are extremely sharp. These sharp edges can produce a nasty cut, and this is why they call our local oysters blades. Local oysters have adapted over time to life along the shoreline in the tidal zone spending part of their day out of the water. They do this to protect themselves from our boring sponge. Oysters are easier to pick at low tide when the are exposed ( 2 hours before- 2 hours after low).
There are many different ways to prepare oysters, but my favorite is steaming or roasting them. This turns into one of my favorite social events during the cooler months. This is one of the easiest and or quickest methods besides eating them raw. You can steam them on a grill, cooker, oven, or an open fire. By steaming the oyster it helps open the shell for easy access, and the amount of time you seem them is for personal preference on how dry or firm that you like your oysters.
Capt John Ward