The season of oyster roasts is almost upon us.
Typically, the oyster harvest season is closed every year from June through September, when coastal waters are warm enough to allow harmful bacteria to accumulate in shellfish. That’s why the coastal South has a long culinary tradition of hosting oyster roasts in the fall and winter. (It’s also the reason for the old saying about only eating oysters in months that contain the letter ‘R.’)
But this year, for the second time since it began monitoring water quality more than 20 years ago, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources has extended the harvest season closure into October.
“Our oyster season closure coincides with the months
when water temperatures exceed 81 degrees Fahrenheit, which is generally June 1 through September 30,” said Dominic Guadagnoli, shellfish and water quality program manager for the DNR’s Coastal Resources Division. “Thankfully, we have only had to extend the closure one other time due to higher-than-average water temperatures for the month of September, and that occurred in 2018.”
The DNR tracks average daily water temperatures along the Georgia coast. Last week, when it made the decision to delay the harvest season reopening, temperatures were trending 2 to 3 degrees above normal for September.
Monitoring stations within designated shellfish growing areas ranged from 83 degrees in Chatham County to 86 degrees in Camden County. The five-year average of September water temperatures from all shellfish growing areas in Georgia is 81 degrees.
The heated coastal waters reflect a broader trend: Sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic this year were the second-hottest they’ve ever been, while global sea surface temperatures reached an all-time high in August.
“The oyster season will reopen as soon as possible after temperature trends fall below the 81-degree Fahrenheit threshold coastwide,” said Guadagnoli of Georgia.
With cooler temperatures forecast for next week, that could happen any day.
Fortunately, delaying the harvest season won’t present much of a blow to Georgia oyster farmers, said Laura Solomon of the Tybee Oyster Company.
A recent rule change by the DNR allows farmed oysters to be harvested during the morning hours of summer months, provided they are refrigerated and cooled to a certain temperature soon after harvest.
That means Solomon and other oyster farmers will continue to abide by the summer harvest schedule until the DNR announces that water temperatures are cool enough to open the regular harvest season.
Wild-harvested oysters, however, cannot be harvested at all in the summer, or whenever water temperatures are above the 81-degree threshold designed to protect public health.
Although not as abundant as they once were in Georgia, wild oyster reefs historically provided the bounty for oyster roasts in the fall and winter. Farmed oysters are usually destined to be served raw on the half shell, said Solomon.
Stephanie Castellano covers climate change and the environment in coastal Georgia. You can reach her at scastellano@usatodayco.com. This reporting content is supported by a partnership with Journalism Funding Partners.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Ocean temperatures delay start of Georgia oyster roast season | Exclusive
