Bring on the oysters! Hilton Head’s Broad Creek water safe for shellfish harvesting
Parts of Hilton Head Island’s Broad Creek are open for shellfish harvesting, according to a news release from the town earlier this week.
The announcement came after S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control monitored the water recently and deemed the water quality “good for shellfish harvesting,” the release said. DHEC routinely monitors water quality at locations throughout the state to ensure the harvested shellfish meet state and federal health and environmental requirements.
Harvesting is not allowed in the creek’s marinas, and commercial harvesting from Station 20-18 to 20-25 are still temporarily restricted.
“Since 1998 Broad Creek has seen most of its water quality listing improve from restricted to approved for shellfish harvesting,” Brian Eber, storm water quality administrator for the town, said. “This is generally a sign of very good water quality.”
The season to harvest wild shellfish, including clams, oysters, and other molluscan bivalves, opened Oct. 1.
This story was originally published November 21, 2020 at 9:14 AM.
