Heavy summer rains wipe out Beaufort oysters

BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) — November has an “R” in it so that means oyster season. But there are precious few to be had in Beaufort County because of last summer’s heavy rains. An official with the state Department of Natural resources tells The Beaufort Gazette (http://bit.ly/19diC0x ) that between 75 and 90 percent of the county’s oysters have been wiped out. Commercial shellfish coordinator Lee Taylor says the die-off varies in different parts of the county but the reason seems clear. Last summer’s heavy rains flushed so much fresh water into area waterways it lowered salinity levels. Craig Reaves of the Sea Eagle Market in Beaufort says in other years where oystermen were able to harvest 1,000 oysters in a day, now they’re finding 100 oysters. ___ Information from: The Beaufort Gazette, http://www.beaufortgazette.com