The Georgia Department of Natural Resources late last week reopened the Glynn County recreational harvesting area to shellfishers, following concerns over possible spillage from the wreck of the M/V Golden Ray.
Officials had kept a close eye on the overturned container ship, which overturned in September. The ship leaked fuel into the St. Simons Sound, causing the DNR’s Coastal Resources Division (CRD) to close the harvesting area until it could be determined that it was not contaminated.
Recreational shellfishing can only be performed in certain areas, requires a Georgia Fishing License, and it is illegal to sell any shellfish caught.
There is also a small wild oyster farming industry, with its own set of rules and regulations. Only a small handful of fishermen are licensed in the state to harvest wild oysters, and their hauls are meager. Up until the 2019 legislative session, there was no actual oyster farming allowed in the state at all.
That changed when Gov. Brian Kemp signed state Rep. Jesse Petrea’s (R-Savannah) HB 501 into law in May. The bill, authored by the CRD and backed by powerful groups including the Georgia Chamber, seeks to kickstart an industry that brings in millions of dollars to neighboring South Carolina and Florida each year.
“We are trying to do something that other states have done and that we believe could be great for Georgia and for some of our coastal counties,” state Rep. Jeff Petrea, R-Savannah, sponsor of HB 501, said during a House Game, Fish, and Parks Committee meeting ahead of the bill’s passage.
Arguments remain over farming seasons, bidding processes, and farming equipment, but in coming years expect to see Georgia oysters on ice at restaurants statewide.
