Committee advances red drum limits, adopts deer‑tag amendment and passes SB 961 as amended

The agriculture committee moved and approved changes to red drum fishing regulations and adopted an amendment altering deer-tag allocations before advancing Senate Bill 961 as amended.

A committee member introduced SB 961, a Senate-sponsored measure described as tightening recreational red drum limits. "Currently, off the shores of South Carolina, you can catch 2 red drum in any 1 day and no more than 6 per boat," the presenter said, and the bill would change that to "1 per person per day and no more than 2 per boat in any 1 day," while increasing the slot limit to 25 inches in total length.

The changes respond to regional fishery recommendations and a stock assessment process. Michael, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) official, told the committee that the northern and southern red drum stocks are genetically distinct: "They are genetically distinct," he said, and those distinctions are detected through genetic testing and long-term surveys that feed into stock assessments. Michael explained that because the Southern stock was assessed as overfished and experiencing overfishing, "each of the states involved in that stock have to take an action to reduce the harvest to get it back to a level that complies with the fishery management plan."

President Chumley asked whether federal rules could take effect if the state did not act. Michael confirmed that South Carolina participates in the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, an interstate compact rooted in federal law, and said member states are accountable to the commission's fishery management plans and must take measures when a stock is determined to be overfished.

Before final passage of the amended bill, the committee adopted a Representative Forrest amendment that changes deer-tag allocations to address crop depredation. The presenter summarized the amendment as flipping allocations (described in committee discussion as moving from 2 antlerless tags to 3 antlerless tags and from 3 antler tags to 2 antler tags) and noted the House previously passed the measure by a 110–1 margin. "Basically, this is trying to help us deal with our depredation problem ... with the deer eating all the crops," the presenter said.

The clerk conducted roll calls. For the Forrest amendment the committee recorded 13 votes in favor with several members absent; the chair announced, "The amendment passes; 13 and 5 were absent." After adopting the amendment, the committee called the roll again for passage of SB 961 as amended; the tally reported in committee discussion was 12 in favor, one member not voting, and five not present. The meeting ended when a member moved to adjourn and the motion was seconded.

The bill text, the amendment language, and official vote tallies will be recorded in the committee minutes and in the legislative record. DNR staff indicated the proposed red drum changes are intended to align state limits with the stock assessment and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's requirements; if the state does not adopt measures that achieve required reductions, federal or interstate mechanisms could be used to implement conservation measures.

The committee adjourned with SB 961 advanced as amended; no implementation date was provided in the recorded discussion.