Georgia's oyster waters reopened at 6 a.m. on Thursday, October 8, 2026, about a week later than the usual end of the summer closure. Many of the farmed single oysters now appearing on Savannah menus didn't start in a river. They started as seed in tanks at the end of Ocean Science Circle on Skidaway Island. The UGA Shellfish Research Lab is Georgia's only shellfish hatchery, so how much it can produce sets a ceiling on how much the state's young oyster-farming industry can grow. On Saturday, November 21, the lab's yearly fundraiser takes place on the bluff a short walk from those tanks.
Why the Season Opened a Week Late
Since 2008, Georgia has closed its salt waters to oyster harvest from June through September every year. In 2026 the closure ran longer. In its October 6 press release, the Coastal Resources Division said September water temperatures were higher than average along the whole coast. It extended the closure to give the water time to cool below the 81-degree Fahrenheit threshold in the state's control plan, and when it reopened the waters it said temperatures were expected to keep falling below that mark.
"This extended closure ensured that Georgia continued to meet the requirements of the National Shellfish Sanitation Program to protect public health by implementing a Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) control plan," Dominic Guadagnoli, the division's shellfish fishery manager, said in that release. The same release says fall and winter, when the water cools, is when most people buy shellfish.
The water temperature decides when the season opens. How much farmed oyster there is to eat depends on a lab on Skidaway.
Georgia's Only Shellfish Hatchery Is on the Island
UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant's Shellfish Research Lab on Skidaway Island began producing single-oyster seed in 2015, according to UGA's story on the state's oyster industry. Single oysters, also called cultchless oysters, grow one at a time instead of in the clusters that cover the marsh banks. They are the uniform, half-shell oysters a raw bar serves. Since the lab is the state's only shellfish hatchery, Georgia farmers who want single-oyster seed from inside the state get it here.
The lab's numbers show how much of the industry depends on it. On its Oyster Roast for a Reason page, UGA says the lab sold 6 million seed to 10 farms across Georgia and South Carolina in 2026. Its goal is 10 million spat a year, which UGA says would mean up to $3.5 million in economic impact.
| Shellfish Research Lab | Seed per year | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 sales | 6 million, to 10 farms in Georgia and South Carolina | Current nursery and water capacity |
| Stated target | 10 million spat | A new greenhouse and two 10,000-gallon water storage tanks |
The difference between those two rows comes down to equipment. UGA says reaching the target requires more nursery space and water storage, including a new greenhouse and two 10,000-gallon tanks to increase algae and seawater production. Oysters are filter feeders, and the young ones in a hatchery eat cultured algae. More tank volume means more food, which means more seed for the farms.
Georgia's oyster farming is still small. In March 2026, the Savannah Morning News reported that Georgia had issued nine shellfish-farming leases, and two of them, Savannah Oyster Company and Tybee Oyster Company, were operating. With so few farms, one hatchery's output decides how much farmed oyster there is.
Where the Seed Ends Up: The Bull River
Both of the Georgia farms named in that report work the Bull River, the tidal river east of Savannah on the way to Tybee.
Tybee Oyster Company grows its oysters on the Bull River and sells them as "Salt Bomb" oysters, according to The Current.
Savannah Oyster Company was farming three million oysters on the Bull River in early September 2026, WTOC reported.
You can find both on local menus. If you live on Skidaway, these are the places to try them:
| Where | What's on offer |
|---|---|
| Common Restaurant | Tybee Oyster Company "Salt Bombs" listed as the local raw oyster on its happy-hour menu, $2 each as of this fall |
| Sorry Charlie's | Oysters from Savannah Oyster Company, which the restaurant calls its own nearby farm |
| Flying Fish Bar and Grill, Wilmington Island | Partnered with Savannah Oyster Company in 2026 to serve its locally grown oysters |
| Savannah Oyster Company, direct | 100-count bags, orders due Mondays, pickup or delivery on Thursdays |
Menus and happy-hour prices change often, so call before you plan a night around one. The Savannah Oyster Company site lists the current ordering schedule. If you're hosting a backyard roast, a 100-count bag with Thursday pickup lines up well with a weekend.
The Afternoon That Pays for the Next 4 Million
The farms supply the oysters on Savannah's menus, and the lab on Skidaway supplies the farms. The tenth annual Oyster Roast for a Reason brings both to the island. It runs from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 21, on the bluff next to the UGA Aquarium at 30 Ocean Science Circle. UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant host the event. The afternoon includes a catered buffet, drinks, live music from City Hotel, and local oysters both roasted and on the half shell. "Support Georgia Oysters" merchandise will be for sale.
Early-bird tickets on UGA's event page are $150 per person or $275 per couple. Prices go up on Wednesday, November 4. UGA says ticket money goes to three areas:
- Hatchery and seed production, the work behind the 6 million seed sold this year
- Lab capacity and infrastructure, including the greenhouse and the two 10,000-gallon tanks
- Grower training and environmental stewardship, giving new shellfish farmers starter seed, hands-on husbandry training and technical guidance
UGA also links the third area to the marsh itself. It says expanding oyster production restores coastal habitat and improves water quality because oysters filter the water as they feed. So the money spent on the bluff supports both more farmed oysters and the marsh that surrounds the island.
The Marsh Calendar Before and After the Roast
UGA's marine campus and the state park also run smaller fall events tied to the same marsh. These are the ones on the calendar after this post publishes.
At Skidaway Island State Park
- Trek 'n' Treat, Saturday, October 24, 4 to 7 p.m. Treats are at Picnic Shelters 1 through 3, and the trek leaves from Shelter 1 at 6 p.m.
- Fungi Hike, Sunday, October 25, 2 to 3:30 p.m. A one- to two-mile mushroom identification walk that meets at the Big Ferry trailhead.
- Bat Walk & Talk, Friday, October 30, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. About half a mile of the Sandpiper Trail. That evening from 5 to 7 p.m., non-campers can also tour the campground to see the campsite-decorating contest.
- Snakes of Skidaway: Meet the King Snake, Saturday, October 31, 10 to 11 a.m. Visitors can meet and touch the park's ambassador snake. Super Batty Suncatchers follows from 2 to 3 p.m.
Two things at the park are worth knowing before you go. The park's page says the Avian Trail and the observation tower are both closed because the trail's bridges are damaged. A partial campground renovation began February 2, 2026, and is scheduled to last a year. The one-mile Sandpiper loop and the two-mile Big Ferry loop are the trails to plan on. Big Ferry stretches to nearly three miles if you add the earthworks loop.
At the UGA Aquarium
- Discovering Your Backyard Marsh, Tuesday, November 3. Marsh ecologist Michelle Covi introduces the South Atlantic Salt Marsh Initiative and leads a guided marsh walk on the Jay Wolf Nature Trail. Registration is $15 and includes Aquarium admission.
- Friday Feedings, November 6, 13 and 20, 1 to 1:30 p.m. Watch the animals being fed. It's included with admission, and you don't need to register.
Between programs, the Aquarium's 16 tanks hold Georgia marine life, and its public touch tank lets visitors handle whelks and crabs. The Friday, November 20 feeding falls the day before the roast, and both take place a short walk from the shellfish lab.
From the lab's 6 million seed this year to the Salt Bombs at Common, Georgia's farmed oysters trace back to the island our team calls home. If you're planning a fall around the marsh, from the bluff on November 21 to a Thursday pickup for a backyard roast, The Landings Home Team is happy to share what we know about Skidaway's seasons, from the state park trails to the Aquarium calendar. Let's Start a Conversation.
