Gilligan’s Seafood Restaurants team up with DNR to help conserve local oyster beds.

For Immediate Release, December 2009

Gilligan’s Seafood Restaurants have teamed up with the SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) to help conserve South Carolina’s oyster beds. Gilligan’s has instituted an oyster shell recycling program in all of their restaurants to help sustain the growth and propagation of local oysters.

Every shell Gilligan’s recycles over the course of the winter will be replanted by DNR back into the estuarine environment, replenishing and enhancing the State’s oyster resource. Without these efforts the local oysters we enjoy may become a thing of the past.

“Our commitment to the conservation of our local oyster beds is just another step we’re taking at Gilligan’s to insure the sustainability of the Lowcountry’s seafood. We understand the importance of proper shell recycling and are proud to be a part of this program,” says Sarah Beckner, Gilligan’s Marketing Director.

Gilligan’s Restaurants are one of the few area restaurants using the local oysters and DNR shellfish biologists state that these shells are the best shells to provide substrate to grow new generations of oysters. Gilligan’s is happy to announce that all oyster shells are being recycled by their restaurants. You will now notice at your local Gilligan’s Restaurant new green buckets will be placed at your table when ordering their All You Can Eat Oysters.

For more information on Gilligan’s Seafood Restaurants and their efforts to keep South Carolina oysters beds flourishing and healthy, visit their website (www.gilligans.net).