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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 13, 2025

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

"This closure will begin at official sunset today, October 13, and it affects all shellfish harvesting in Shellfish Management Area 05, which includes North Inlet and Winyah Bay," 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 Georgetown County, call SCDES’s Myrtle Beach Environmental Affairs Office at 843-238-4378. 

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