Annual oyster shell reseeding — which began this month and will continue for the next several weeks — is affecting some of Beaufort County’s most popular boat landings in Port Royal, Beaufort and Okatie.
Although the boat landings will remain open to the public, increased truck and barge activity will be visible throughout each day while the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources reseeds the oyster beds at each location.
The state-sponsored work is part of annual efforts to protect imperiled oyster populations by returning shells from restaurants, backyard oyster roasts and other sources to tidelands. Putting shells back in the mud rebuilds reefs, the refuges baby oysters need to grow and multiply. The shells provide the best substrate for juvenile oyster attachment.
This year’s work began April 16 at the The Sands Boat Landing in Port Royal. It will conclude Friday, May 2…