Outdoors: Recycling oysters key in keeping them available

Nothing personifies the splendid fall season along the Carolina coast like a good ol’ oyster roast.

Whether you brave the pluff mud and gather ’em yourself or buy ’em by the bushel, the clusters of salty mollusks are hard to beat.

Much like plastic and aluminum at your local recycling center, the leftover shell from an oyster roast, or any of the many other ways local oysters can be prepared, should be recycled – right back into the saltwater estuaries that are so prominent and important along the Palmetto State coast.

Why is returning the shell to the oyster beds so important? The answer is in the spat.

In the spring each year, usually in late April or early May depending on water temperature, oysters begin spawning and continue periodically through the summer. The spat, or oyster larvae, are released into the water and need a suitable material to attach to and begin creating new oysters.

Simply put, the spat prefer attaching to old oyster shells to begin creating its own shell. And from small spat, giant oyster reefs are built, providing a crucial element in the state’s saltwater ecosystem.

The number of oyster shell recycling centers is growing, making it more convenient for the public along with restaurant owners to drop off used shell. From there, Ben Dyar, Oyster Shell Recycling & Planting Program Coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, and company return the shell to its rightful place in the estuaries.

There are numerous oyster recycling locations along the coast including seven in Horry and Georgetown counties. The newest location is right in the middle of Myrtle Beach, located on 21st Ave. North in Myrtle Beach.

At the U.S. Hwy. 17 and 21st Ave North intersection turn west onto 21st Ave North headed away from beach between the former NASCAR Sports Grille and Phillips Seafood. The bin is located on the first right turn just past the former NASCAR Sports Grille parking lot down a dirt road.

The other locations to drop off oyster shell for recycling in Horry and Georgetown counties follow:

•  Fishermen’s Headquarters, 3414 Hwy. 701 South, Conway.

•  Platt’s Seafood, 1108 Sea Mountain Highway, Cherry Grove.

•  Shucker’s Raw Bar, 3rd Ave. North at Business Hwy. 17, Myrtle Beach.

•  Garden City-Murrells Inlet Fire Department, Business Hwy. 17, Murrells Inlet.

•  Clambank Landing, off Hwy. 17, south of Murrells Inlet.

•  Waccamaw River Bridge at Hwy. 17, Georgetown.

For more information on the Oyster Shell Recycling & Planting Program, visit www.saltwaterfishing.sc.gov/oyster.html or contact Dyar at:

Office of Fisheries Management SCDNR/MRD

217 Ft. Johnson Rd.

Charleston, SC 29412

(843) 953-9397

Hooks For Hearts

The 6th annual Hooks for Hearts Charity Trout Tournament was held on Saturday, with Team Harris landing a 3.1-pounder to win the event.

Team Salmon was second with a 3.0-punder and there was a three-way tie for third place between Team Blakely, Team Payne and Team Wetsaw all with a 2.89-pound trout.

While mainly small trout were caught, tournament director Capt. Englis Glover noted the numbers of fish were very good.

“There were more fish caught this year than ever in the tournament without a doubt,” Glover said. “The number of trout in Murrells Inlet now is phenomenal.”

The largest flounder weighed in was a 2.1-pounder caught by Team Seven Seas Seafood.

Due to miscommunication, the fish weighed in during the tournament were not donated to Street Reach Ministry.

The tournament benefits the American Heart Association and the Winston Perry Reef Foundation.

Hook-A-Hoo Rodeo

The crew of Critter weighed in a 63.15-pound wahoo to win the 10-day fall version of the wahoo tournament with weigh-in stations at Wrightsville Beach Marina and South Harbour Marina in Southport.

Boats were allowed to fish one of 10 days from Nov. 4-13. Crew members aboard Critter were Chris and Carrie Critz of Holden Beach, N.C., Doug Straining of Stanly County, N.C., and Capt. Keith Logan of North Myrtle Beach. The crew also caught wahoo weighing 62, 50 and 20 pounds, plus lost two larger fish.

Reel McCoy finished second with a 46.05-pound wahoo and Mitz-Chievous was third with a 43-pounder. Reel McCoy weighed in the largest blackfin tuna and Box Office caught the largest dolphin.

Proceeds of the tournament went to the Shriner’s Burn Center.

Big Coastal Buck

Russell Johnson of Pawleys Island bagged a big buck in a rather unlikely place on an unlikely date.

Johnson took a 9-point typical buck that weighed in at 154 pounds within hearing distance of the surf between Pawleys Island and Georgetown on Nov. 11, 2011, or 11-11-11.

Johnson said the buck was the largest and most symmetrical buck he has bagged in his 25 years of hunting in the vicinity.

“I’ve been waiting 25 years on that buck,” said Johnson.