South Carolina Shrimp – Guide to SC Shrimping

South Carolina

SC Gifts

SC Food

SC Shrimp

SC Shrimp

South Carolina has two shrimp seasons.

The first runs from May through August, when smaller, brown shrimp are harvested.

The popular white shrimp season begins in September and lasts through December.

There are so many places along our coast to buy fresh local seafood. There are an abundance of resources listed below to help you find the freshest shrimp near you. Support your SC shrimpers and buy local!

— Rosebank Farms, Johns Island © Pamela Bohnenstiehl —

SC Shrimp Sponsors

Commercial Shrimping Organizations in SC

Gulf & South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation - research and development organization serving eight-state area including SC
South Carolina Seafood Alliance
SC Shrimp Fishery Assistance Project - creating sustainable shrimp industry
Southeastern Fisheries Association - working to preserve and enhance the regional commercial fishing industry
Southern Shrimp Alliance - eight-state alliance including SC
Wild American Shrimp - headquartered in Charleston, SC and representing eight southern states – promotes consumption of shrimp from the Atlantic and Gulf; also has a SC Chapter, SC Shrimp Fishery Assistance Project

SC Shrimping Research, Conservation, and Education

Sustainable Seafood Initiative - promoting the use of local and sustainable seafood in South Carolina's restaurants
– Shrimp fact sheet - PDF
Shrimp Harvesting Regulations in South Carolina

Articles on SC's Shrimping Industry

"South Carolina Shrimp Industry – A History of Heritage" - PDF - timelines and pictures tell the history of the shrimping industry in SC, and also outline the current threats to the industry from rising fuel prices, imported seafood, and development along our coastline
Shrimp in South Carolina - lists species, anatomy, lifecycle, migratory patterns, and harvesting through commercial fisheries
"Living For Shrimping, Shrimping For A Living" - 2007 article interviews commercial captains and discusses industry concerns
"Shrimpers Say It's Barely Worth it to Stay in Business" - January 2009 article about the difficult 2008 SC shrimp season
"The Grease Experiment" - Jimmy Buffet's idea, to collect used cooking grease to be used as fuel by commercial fishing vessels, gets off the ground - article published June/July 2010
"Shrimp Fishing in SC – A Way of Living Changes Forever" - second generation fisherman remembers when not all that long ago shrimping was a lucrative business - article published September 2010

Shrimp Festivals in SC

Beaufort Shrimp Festival
Lowcountry Shrimp Festival - McClellanville, Charleston County
Yemassee Shrimp Festival - Hampton County

Shrimp Recipes from SC

Barbeque Shrimp and Grits - from 82 Queen in Charleston
Fried Shrimp - The Fearless Frying Cookbook reveals this recipe from the much-beloved Edisto Restaurant in Jacksonboro, which closed its doors in 1998
Shrimp and Crab Gumbo - from Abingdon Manor in Florence