Crabbing, Shrimping & Oystering in South Carolina

Crabbing: the easiest way to start

Chicken necking is exactly what it sounds like. Tie a chicken neck to a string, lower it off a dock, wait for a tug, and slowly pull it up with a net underneath. Kids love it.

Do you need a license? You don’t need a saltwater recreational fishing license if you’re using 3 or fewer drop nets, 3 or fewer fold-up traps, or 3 or fewer handlines with no hooks and a single bait per line. That covers most dock crabbing. Using crab pots or more gear means you need a license. Anyone 16 or older needs one. Kids under 16 don’t.

The rules:

• Keep only blue crabs at least 5 inches wide, measured point to point across the shell.
• Return every female carrying eggs to the water. They’re easy to spot: look for the orange or dark sponge under the belly.
• The limit is one bushel per person per day, or two bushels per boat.
• A saltwater license lets you fish up to 2 crab pots. For up to 5 pots, add the $5 annual recreational crab trap endorsement. Pots need escape rings.

Shrimping

Cast netting is the classic. It takes practice, and your first 50 throws will look like a pizza going sideways. Stick with it.

Shrimp baiting is a big fall tradition along the coast, where you bait a spot and cast net over it. It requires a separate shrimp baiting license. The 2026 season runs from noon September 11 to noon November 9. The limit is 48 quarts of whole shrimp or 29 quarts headed per day for each set of poles, with no more than 10 poles per license.

Oystering and clamming

Roasting oysters you picked yourself on a cold night is one of the best things you can do in this state.

The 2026-27 shellfish season runs October 1, 2026, through May 15, 2027.

• You need a saltwater recreational fishing license.
• The limit is two U.S. bushels of oysters and one-half bushel of clams per day, and only two calendar days per seven-day period.
• The possession limit is three personal limits per boat or vehicle.
• Clams must be at least one inch thick.
• Only harvest in open, designated areas. Get SCDNR’s updated shellfish maps at the start of each season, or use their Recreational Shellfish Map on your phone, and check for closures after heavy rain. This one matters for your health.

Where to go

Public docks, piers, bridges, and tidal creeks all along the coast are fair game for crabbing, where posted rules allow. Explore the marsh on our Murrells Inlet Creek Paddle and Cherry Grove Marsh Kayak trips, and see the wild side of the coast at Cape Romain and Bull Island.

Buy local when you don’t catch enough

Didn’t fill the bucket? Every coastal town has a family seafood market that’s been selling the day’s catch for years. Buying local shrimp and crabs supports working waterfront families and keeps those docks alive.

Harvest like you want to do it again next year

• Take only what you’ll eat.
• Handle crabs gently and return shorts and egg-bearing females fast.
• Recycle your oyster shells at SCDNR shell drop-off sites. They become new reefs.
• Never leave crab pots unattended for long, and remove them when you’re done.
• Watch for sea turtles and dolphins, and never feed them.

Crab for every body

Dock crabbing is one of the most accessible outdoor activities on the coast. It’s flat, it’s close to the parking lot, and a string is all you need. See our Accessibility Guide for docks with easier access.

Want bigger fish? Head to our Fishing hub. Now go outside and play. Bring the Old Bay.