Your mother always told you, only eat oysters in a month with an “r.” The state Legislature might be about to tell you different.
Regulators are putting together proposals to open oyster mariculture, or farm harvesting, in the summer months when the shellfish have been off limits because of the increased chance of bacterial infection. The move comes as two Beaufort lawmakers work a bill through the Legislature calling for it.
The idea is to keep fresh local oysters on the plate year-round for tourists and residents who love the salty slurp, while bolstering the beleaguered shellfishing industry. A handful of oyster farms operate in the Beaufort area, and St. Jude Farms operates in Colleton County.
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