After the Roast: Where Murrells Inlet's Oyster Shells Are Supposed to Go This Season

Last June, about a 10-minute boat ride north of the public landing, more than 20 volunteers spent a full morning on a patch of pluff mud, staking down 50 galvanized wire cages. Each cage held about a bushel of oyster shell on a layer of coconut husk. The husk faced the marsh and the shell faced open water, set in a checkered pattern to cover as much surface as possible.

Those shells came from Charleston.

The inlet with a seafood restaurant on nearly every stretch of the MarshWalk had to import the raw material for its own reefs. According to the Coastal Observer's report on the project, the reefs here need more shell than the area recycles. Now that the 2026–27 season is open and the backyard roasts are starting, that gap gets wider or smaller one bucket at a time.

The Inlet Gives Back Less Than It Takes

The June deployment was run through SCDNR's S.C. Oyster Recycling and Enhancement Program, known as SCORE, with the Coastal Conservation League and Huntington Beach State Park. Volunteers at Huntington had built the cages earlier. Kevin Swain, an SCDNR wildlife biologist on SCORE's restoration team, described the imbalance to the Coastal Observer:

"We're putting out more shells in the area than what's being recycled."

SCORE recycled about 64,000 bushels of oysters across South Carolina last year. On the north coast, Becky Ryon, the Coastal Conservation League's North Coast director, told the paper that less than 20 percent of shells are recycled in the area, and that she had heard Greenville County recycles more oyster shell than Horry County. She put most of the problem down to people not knowing about it. Shells that skip the bin often end up in the landfill.

Local shell can do the job when it gets collected. In spring 2025, Horry County, SCDNR and the Loris High School FFA chapter deployed 200 manufactured wire reefs in Main Creek off Cypress Avenue, built from shells recycled in Horry County. The supply is the missing piece. On the Georgetown County side, the county's Stormwater Division is working on a local program that would quarantine shell and build wire reefs closer to home. Swain called it "still in the infancy."

Why a Cage of Shell Matters to This Particular Water

Each cage pays off on a large scale. Swain told the Coastal Observer that one wire cage can recruit 7,000 oysters and that an adult oyster can filter almost 3 gallons of water an hour. He estimated that the 50 cages set in June would eventually hold about 350,000 oysters and filter nearly 1 million gallons an hour. Baby oysters, called spat, prefer to settle on other oyster shell. Once they attach, they stay there for life and take about three years to reach adult size. Reefs also trap sediment where spartina grass can take root, which Swain called a "living shoreline."

Filtration matters here because the inlet's own harvest is limited by water quality. SCDNR's 2026–27 recreational season opened October 1, 2026, and runs into May 2027. On the agency's Winyah Bay to Little River ground list, state shellfish ground S-358, labeled simply "Murrells Inlet," is marked "Partially Closed – SCDES." So is public ground R-355 at Lachicotte Oyster Creek. Both are listed with dates of October 1 to May 15.

The most recent SCDES shellfish report for this area, dated September 2025 with data through December 2024, explains the reason. Harvest classifications are based on fecal coliform testing. Restricted portions of S-358 lie in creeks and near the mainland, while other portions are approved. The same report says stormwater runoff continues to affect most waters in the area as development stays dense. SCDNR notes that closures can change after storms or spills.

Murrells Inlet has more than 3,100 acres of habitat suitable for shellfish, according to the Department of Environmental Services, and every new reef adds filtering capacity to that water.

The Bins Along Highway 17 Business

Most of the drop-off points are on the same stretch of road as the restaurants. Here are the Murrells Inlet sites SCDNR lists on its oyster recycling page, plus two newer stations named by the Coastal Observer:

Two marsh-side restaurants already send their shell back. Swain named Russell's Seafood and The Claw House as among the most dedicated about collecting it, and SCORE staff from Charleston pick up restaurant shell. If a local spot isn't on that list yet, ask whether it collects.

What the Bin Will and Won't Take

Shell with trash mixed in can't be recycled, and SCDNR keeps its rules short.

1. Keep shell separate from trash. Shell mixed with trash can't be recycled.
2. Empty shells out of bags and containers so only shell goes into the bin.
3. Don't toss freshly shucked shell straight into the creek. It needs to go through SCDNR's quarantine first.
4. Never put live oysters bought from outside South Carolina into state waters. SCDNR says that is illegal.
5. Leave shell in the bins where it is. Shell placed in an SCDNR receptacle is state property, and taking it is illegal.

Quarantine is the reason for rule three. SCDNR says recycled shell sits for at least six months to clear out invasive species and disease before it is planted back in an estuary. The Coastal Observer described the quarantine, usually done in Charleston, as at least three months and sometimes up to a year. Because oysters can come from other states, their shells may carry disease and bacteria. SCDNR also says the shell program is paid for with Saltwater Recreational Fishing License revenue.

That same license comes into play for anyone heading out to pick oysters themselves. SCDNR's shellfish regulations page says recreational oyster and clam harvesting requires a Saltwater Recreational Fishing License. It lists exemptions for people under 16 and for qualifying Gratis Over 65 or Disability license holders, and it says harvesters must carry the license. For current closures, it gives the SCDES hotline at 1-800-285-1618. This is general information, not legal advice. Check SCDNR and SCDES directly for your own situation before you go out.

The Season's Oyster Calendar, With the Shell in Mind

Through Christmas, most local oyster events cluster within a few addresses of each other on Highway 17 Business:

• November 7, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 22nd Annual Murrells Inlet Oyster Roast takes over the Wicked Tuna parking lot at 4123 US-17 Business. Tickets are $40 plus a $1.87 fee and include all-you-can-eat oysters and your own oyster bucket. The page says the event sells out, oysters are first come, first served, and it's rain or shine with no refunds. Ticket sales close at 12:01 p.m. that day.
• All season. Nance's Creek Front serves local steamed oysters and holds oyster roasts in season. The restaurant says it harvests from its own shellfish lease. After the season ends, it barges the previous season's empty shells back to inlet oyster beds.
• December 5, 4 to 6 p.m. Christmas tree lighting at Morse Park Landing, 4925 US-17 Business.
• December 6, 3 to 6 p.m. Murrells Inlet Christmas Parade along US-17 Business.

The roast's ticket page carries a small piece of local news. All proceeds go to "Murrells Inlet 29576 formally Murrells Inlet 2020," which the page describes as a community revitalization organization focused on conserving the natural environment while fostering local community and commerce. On its own site, the group lists its work as including water quality monitoring with Coastal Carolina University's Watershed Academy and community cleanups. When the group ran the 19th roast in 2023, WBTW reported that organizers planned to have SCDNR recycling bins on site. If you're carrying shells home from this year's roast, the Dead Dog Saloon trailer is a few addresses down the road at 4079.

One empty building fits the same picture. Inlet Shipwreck at 4139 Highway 17 Business closed in September after less than a year, the Sun News reported. The owners of The Boathouse plan to open a second location there. MyHorryNews reports that the new spot, The Landing at the Boathouse, is aiming to open in spring 2027. That's one more MarshWalk kitchen that could start sending its shell back on day one.

For volunteers, the Coastal Observer said Swain's team had held seven events in the area by late June, including a wire reef along the seawall at Belin Memorial United Methodist Church. It pointed readers to SCDNR's volunteer portal at volunteerscdnr.galaxydigital for upcoming dates. That's the same work that put 50 cages into the mud north of the landing in June.

I grew up on this water, and I love that a bucket of shells can end up as part of the inlet. If you're hosting a roast this season and want to know which bin is closest to your street, or you're just curious what's going on along your stretch of the marsh, I'm happy to talk it through. Megan Parker is always glad to hear from neighbors. Let's Connect.