Oyster reseeding will impact Port Royal, Beaufort and Okatie boaters. Here’s the schedule
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.
Reseeding at the Broad River Boat Landing in Beaufort will follow from Monday, May 12, to Thursday, May 15.
The Edgar Glenn Boat Landing/Chechessee Landing in Okatie is the next stop for reseeding from May 19 to May 21. At this location, the barge will occupy one ramp while it is being loaded, which will take about two hours. At least one ramp will be available for public use while the barge is being loaded.
This story was originally published April 28, 2025 at 10:48 AM.
