CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — Changes are coming for South Carolina’s crabbing industry as new sustainability-focused regulations are set to take effect next month.
State lawmakers approved a sweeping set of changes for blue crab fishing in 2024, an industry that had previously been largely unregulated.
The lack of regulations left the blue crab population vulnerable to overfishing. Coupled with rising water temperatures and other environmental factors, research from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) found that this led to a decades-long population decline…