Oyster Reefs
SCDNR oyster reef survey · 71,200 polygons
2,310 acres of living infrastructure.
SCDNR has mapped the identifiable intertidal oyster reefs of the Port Royal Sound estuary. Their density pattern reflects tidal circulation and the history of water quality in each embayment; reefs are most dense where tidal exchange is strong and turbidity is low.
Oyster reef location and density · Port Royal Sound
Each point is a mapped reef, sized and colored by area. Zoom in to see individual reef polygons.
Reef sizes range from under 0.001 to 8.73 acres; 8,080 reefs exceed 0.05 acres. SCDNR data retrieved September 9, 2026.
Scale of the reef system.
Total reef polygons
71,200
Total reef acres
2,310
Median reef size
<0.01acres
Largest single reef
8.7ac
What oysters do for the watershed.
Filtration
While submerged, an adult oyster can filter tens of gallons of water per day, removing algae and suspended particles and transferring nutrients from the water column to the bottom.
Structural habitat
The three-dimensional reef structure creates shelter and nursery habitat for juvenile fish, crabs, shrimp, and other invertebrates. Existing shell also provides hard substrate where oyster larvae can settle.
Water-quality connection
Oyster filtration can improve local water clarity. Reef health is also shaped by salinity, dissolved oxygen, sediment, disease, harvest, and other conditions, so this distribution map should not be read as a stand-alone water-quality assessment.