Tons of oyster seeding aggregate was dumped in three large piles near the boat ramp at The Sands in Port Royal on Friday, May 17. According to Michael Hodges, Director of Marine Resources and Shellfish Management with South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources, the gravel and shells will be used to reseed the oyster banks near the U.S. Naval Hospital and around Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot, a four-year program funded by the Federal government. Hodges said the boat ramp area is just for holding the large amount of material, which will be carried off by barge to the areas to be seeded. Hodges added that people inspecting the old shells, most of which are fossilized and millions of years old and mined from Florida, should just leave them alone not play on nor take any home. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

Making their beds

A close up view of shells used as seeding material for re-nourishing oyster banks. This particular view shows the million-year-old “Fossiliferous Limestone” mined from Florida to be used as seeding material in a four year re-nourishing projected around MCRD Parris Island. The federally funded program will be managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, according to Michael Hodges, Director of Marine Resources and Shellfish Management. Bob Sofaly/The Island News
Michael Hodges, Director of Marine Resources and Shellfish management with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, said the tons of material of limestone gravel and fossilized shells being deposited near the boat ramp at The Sands in Port Royal will be used to help reseed the oyster banks around Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot and U.S. Naval Hospital in Port Royal. The federally funded program will take about four years to complete and asks the public to avoid playing on the mounds for safety reasons and not to carry off any of the “Fossiliferous Limestone” shells. Bob Sofaly/The Island News
Bob Sofaly/The Island News Michael Hodges, Director of Marine Resources and Shell fish management with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, said the tons of material of limestone gravel and fossilized shells being deposited near the boat ramp at The Sands in Port Royal will be used to help reseed the oyster banks around Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot and U.S. Navle Hospital in Port Royal. The federally funded program will take about four years to complete and asks the public to avoid playing on the mounds for safety reason and not to carry off any of the “Fossiliferous LImestone” shells.

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