For Booking Information
800-686-6996
Outside Hilton Head
The Plaza at Shelter Cove
Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
(843) 686-6996
outside@outsidehiltonhead.com
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News for the Environment and Habitat
Updated 09.23.08
SHRIMP BAITING SEASON OPENS Friday, September 12, 2008
Recreational shrimpers who purchase a shrimp baiting license can legally cast their nets for shrimp over bait during this season. Shrimp baiting season will remain open until noon Tuesday, November 11.
The shrimp baiting season lasts 60 days. Resident licenses cost $25 and non-resident licenses cost $500. The catch limit is 48 quarts of shrimp measured heads-on (29 quarts heads-off) per boat or set of poles per day, and each boat is limited to a set of 10 poles.
Shrimpers should be aware of laws regulating mesh size when choosing a cast net for the fall baiting season. The law went into effect in 2002 requiring that no cast net may be used for shrimp baiting that the mesh be smaller than one-half inch on each side, or one inch in length when stretched. The legislative change in mesh size only refers to shrimp bating and does not affect recreational shrimpers who are not casting over bait.
SHELLFISH SEASON OPENS Thursday, September 18, 2008
Shellfish season opens to recreational and commercial harvesters in designated areas from a half-hour before sunrise until a half-hour after sundaown now through May 15. The SC Department of Natural Resouces, which manages the state shellfish program along with the Department of Health and Environmental Control, reports the state's shellfish areas are healthy.
The DNR maintains 59 state shellfish grounds for commercial and recreational harvesting of clams and oysters. Of those, 20 public shellfish grounds are managed exclusively for recreational gathering and are posted with boundary signs.
The recreational limit is two bushels of oysters and a half-bushel of clams per day. Harvesters can't gather more than the personal limit of shellfish on more than two calendar days per week. There is a maximum possession limit of three personal catches per boat or vehicle. Clams must be at least 1 inch thick. A state shellfish ground license is required. Updated public shellfish ground maps can be found at www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/shellfish/pubshell.html or call 843.953.9300.
Help protect South Carolina's Oysters - Recycle Oyster Shells
---Oysters are a harvestable and renewable resource: each year tens of thousands of bushels are harvested recreationally and comercially.
---Filters: adult oysters filter up to 2.5 gallons of water per hour, improving water quality in the process.
---Habitat: oysters build reefs which provide habitat for fish, shrimp, crabs, and other animals. They are an integral part of the marine ecosystems.
---Erosion control: oyster reefs are natural breakwaters that absorb wave energy and protect marsh shorelines.
South Carolina has a critical shortage of oyster shells. To properly manage the state's oyster beds and maintain these important oyster habitats, we must continually recycle the oyster shells that are removed from the state's oyster beds. Recycling your shells will help restore, preserve, and enhance the state's oyster habitats.
Adult oysters release millions of fertilzed eggs in the summer months. During their 2 to 3 week development, oyster larvae may be carried great distances from where they were spawned. When development is complete, larvae must attach to a hard substrate, ideally another oyster shell. If no suitable substrate exists, the larvae dies. Juvenile oysters (spat) require two to three years to reach harvest size, but they begin to reproduce within a year, completing the life cycle. Each year, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources recycles and plants thousands of bushels of shell to help insure future generations of oysters.
Recycling Tips:
---Do separate shell from trash. Shell mixed with trash is not suitable for recycling. Provide separate containers for shell.
---Do keep shell in a porous container to reduce odors.
---Do bring your shell to the nearest shell recycling center.
---Don't put live oysters in South Carolina waters. If the oysters you purchased were harvested outside South Carolina, it is illegal to place them in SC waters. Placing imported oysters in our waters can create environmental problems and may harm local oysters or other animals.
---Don't put freshly shucked shell in SC waters. To avoid contamination, shell should be dried for 6 months.
For more information visit www.dnr.sc.gov
LOGGERHEADS RETURN: Hilton Head Island's most reliable visitors are back. Loggerhead Sea Turtles have been nesting along the beaches of the island since mid-May, marking the return of the 300-pound sea creatures.
The Coastal Discovery Museum's Sea Turtle Protection Project would like to remind beachfront property owners and visitors to keep their lights off after 10 pm. The stepped-up enforcement is good news for Carlos Chacon, director of the Sea Turtle Protection Project.
"It's crucial, because female turtles are discouraged by lights," he says.
Turtles that see lights on the beach often return to the water without laying eggs, or they don't come ashore at all. If the turtle fails to find a suitable nesting spot, she'll eventually drop her eggs in the water, where they'll be eaten before they hatch.
Last year, loggerhead mothers dug 185 nests on the island, each containing about 120 eggs the size of pingpong balls. Turtle experts estimate that one out of every 100 hatchlings makes it to its third day, and only one of every 10,000 eggs laid produces a turtle that survives to reproductive maturity, at about 25 years.
Each nest, typically dug near the edge of the dune line, takes about 45 days to incubate. They are marked on the beach with orange ribbons attached to wooden stakes.
Loggerhead's are an endangered and protected species. Disturbing the nest, and/or the hatchlings is a federal offense.
The lights-out season for sea turtle nesting on Hilton Head Island lasts from May 1 until October 31.
Team & Leadership programs on Page Island are getting better all the time. We specialize in tailoring customized programs for your group - small or large - and already have had some spectucular programs that have included low challenge elements, kayaking and lowcountry cookouts
Dolphin activity has been impressive this summer. Our kayak guides are reporting sightings that include dozens of dolphin group feeding to births. Outside Hilton Head's 2 hour guided nature tours and our powerboat based Dolphin Eco Tours offer an excellent opportunity to get out there and see for yourself.
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