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Committee approves DNR rules to expire dormant shellfish permits and clarify blue‑crab renewal documentation
Summary
The committee approved two DNR regulations: one creates a 12‑month expiration for shellfish/mariculture permit applications that receive no applicant response, and the other clarifies that wholesale dealer reports will serve as verifiable documentation for blue‑crab license renewals under Statute 50‑5‑400.
The House Regulations Committee approved two regulations from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources intended to tidy application records and clarify renewal documentation for commercial harvesters.
Ben Dyer, director of the Office of Fisheries Management at the Department of Natural Resources, explained Document 54 39 would allow the agency to withdraw shellfish and mariculture permit applications (primarily for oysters and clams) if an applicant does not provide correspondence within 12 months after an agency decision or request for additional information. "Once an applicant pays their $25 to apply for these permits, we have no correspondence to be able to take those down," Dyer said, arguing the change improves transparency by removing stale listings from the department website.
Dyer also presented Document 54 40 to implement Statute 50‑5‑400 (effective 07/01/2025). He said the department will use wholesale dealer reports — already mandatory under separate law — as verifiable documentation to determine whether a commercial blue crab harvester meets the statute’s renewal threshold. Dyer told the committee that South Carolina harvests roughly 8 to 10 million crabs a year and that the renewal minimum is 4,000 pounds (about 100 bushels). The department said the statutory changes were requested in part by industry to reduce abandoned traps and improve management.
Both documents were approved by the committee (roll calls recorded the approvals as unanimous). The regulations take effect under the agency’s rulemaking process and will be applied during permitting and license renewal activities.
