Oyster and clam season, limits, and public shellfish grounds — SOURCES CONFLICT
Published bySouth Carolina Department of Natural Resources
Agency: SCDNR Office of Fisheries Management, Shellfish Management Program, (843) 953-9300; recreational ground maps (843) 953-9854. SEASON — TWO SCDNR PAGES CONFLICT as of 2026-09-04: dnr.sc.gov/marine/shellfish/regs.html states "Season: October 1 through May 27"; saltwaterfishing.sc.gov/shellfishharvest.html states "September 16 through May 15, unless conditions warrant shortening or extending the season." SCDNR's most recent season announcement I could locate (news release dated 2024-09-17) opened the season "one-half hour before official sunrise on Tuesday, October 1, 2024" running through May 15, 2025, which matches the October opening but not the May 27 closing. No 2026 SCDNR news release announcing the 2026-27 season had been posted to dnr.sc.gov/news.html as of 2026-09-04. LIMITS (both pages agree): two U.S. bushels of oysters and/or one-half U.S. bushel of clams per person per day; clams must be at least one inch thick; no person may gather more than one personal limit on more than two calendar days in any seven-day period; maximum possession three personal limits per boat or vehicle or boat-and-vehicle combination. One U.S. bushel equals eight gallons. It is illegal to harvest between one-half hour after official sunset and one-half hour before official sunrise. GEAR: scoops, scrapes, tongs or dredges may not be used without a permit. GROUNDS: recreational harvest is allowed on State Shellfish Grounds (signed "S") and Public Shellfish Grounds (signed "R"); SCDNR's 2024 release counted 20 Public and seven State Shellfish Grounds managed exclusively for recreational gathering, plus 58 State Shellfish Grounds open to both recreational and commercial harvest. Culture-permit grounds require written permission from the permit holder, carried while harvesting. CLOSURES: grounds can be closed for bacterial contamination or after storm events or spills — SCDNR now names SC Department of Environmental Services (SCDES), hotline 1-800-285-1618; the older saltwaterfishing.sc.gov page still names the predecessor agency SCDHEC. Regional maps for Northern Charleston County (which covers the Mount Pleasant creeks) and an ArcGIS web app are published on the SCDNR shellfish page. § 50-5-1015 addresses shell theft.
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