SCDES Temporarily Closes Some Shellfish Harvesting Beds in Charleston County due to Excessive Rain

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  
Oct. 5, 2026 

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) is temporarily closing some shellfish harvesting beds in Charleston County due to heavy rainfal, the agency announced today.   

"This closure will begin at official sunset today, October 5, and it affects all shellfish harvesting in Shellfish Management Area 08 and 9A, which includes Anderson Creek and southern portions of Bulls Bay south to the Charleston Harbor,” said Mike Marshall, manager of SCDES’s Shellfish Sanitation Section. "The affected area will reopen once water quality data indicate that bacteria levels are once again suitable for shellfish harvesting."   

For more information on clam and oyster harvesting areas in Charleston County, call SCDES’s Charleston County Office at 843-953-0150. Learn more about SCDES's Shellfish Sanitation Program at des.sc.gov/shellfish.