We grind to a stop as the hull of the boat slides along the razor-sharp shells that sound like finger nails on a chalkboard. Without uttering a word, Victor "Goat" Lafayette climbs out, grabs a stack of baskets and heads to the oyster bed.
The pluff mud around the bed is thick and I can hardly get out of the boat as my boots start to sink. Get stuck in this mud and it will suck you under Victor "Goat" Lafayette says as he gets to work.
"There's a feller's boot still stuck over there," he laughs as he points to an area along the bed.
Victor "Goat' Lafayette
Oyster picker Victor "Goat" Lafayette, 68, has literally been harvesting oysters along the marshes and waterways of Charleston his whole life. Born on James Island, he started harvesting with his family by age 8 and has been doing it ever since. He began harvesting and selling oysters to May Bowen, owner of Bowen's Island Restaurant and continues to work with her grandson, Robert Barber, the present owner of the restaurant.
Today, he has chosen a bed in Kingfisher Flats, close to Bowens Island, to harvest oysters.
Armed with gloves and the baskets, he works his way along the beds and starts pulling up large chunks of shells fused together. Picking up another chunk of shells, he starts beating them together, breaking off the dead shells from the live shells. This continues until he is satisfied and throws the leftover mass into the bucket.
Honestly, all I see when I peak into the bucket is a smaller mass of shells fused together but Lafayette assures me there are oysters in that bucket.
Continuing along the bed, he looks for, finds and smashes the clusters together. After spending a couple of minutes bent over, he finally stands to rest his back and looks over at me. Without saying a word he leans over, keeps his head down and continues his search for oysters. That was the extent of our interaction on the oyster bed.
He didn't say much while he worked or for most of the time we spent together on that oyster bed. A quiet man, still strong at his age, content to do his job and be left alone. Of course, it didn't matter, when he did speak in his thick Gullah accent, I couldn't understand him anyway.
For the next hour, he worked I photographed and we coexisted on that oyster bed without saying much at all. I finally asked him if he enjoyed picking oysters. He stopped, looked up and said it was a relaxing job and he liked it. Besides, he added, it pays the bills.
Lafayette says he makes $13 a bushel and goes out 3-4 times a week. It is hard work he says but he only picks 10 baskets at a time so it doesn't wear him out. Each basket weighs about 50 lbs. and between harvesting, washing and bagging, he has to carry each basket four times before he is done. Basically, Lafayette carries about 2 tons of oysters every day that he works.
If he pushes too hard, his arms and legs start to hurt and it is hard to walk.
Harvesting Oysters
Whereas Lafayette harvests on land leased by Bowen's Island Restaurant, others travel to public beds to pick oysters. According to the Department of Natural Resources(DNR), these beds have been on the decline but measures have been taken to help revitalize them through recycling programs. The beds are seeded with recycled shells, giving future oysters a suitable habitat to grow.
Recently, restaurant oyster shell recycling programs have been introduced to help rehabilitate the public oyster reefs and ensure the future of oysters along the South Carolina coast. The DNR maintains 59 State Shellfish Grounds for commercial and recreational harvesting of clams and oysters.
After filling baskets with oysters, we head back to shore.
Harvesting usually begins around October and lasts through April. As Barber explained, if a month has an 'R' in it, then it is oyster season. The season starts after the waters begin to cool because of bacteria found in warmer conditions.
People love their oysters in South Carolina, evident by all the oyster roasts that start taking place this month. Standing out in the cold and using designer gloves and knives, people huddle around tables gobbling up the oysters, basket after basket.
After picking the oysters, Lafayette carries the them to a cleaning area at Bowen's Island Restaurant.
Fewer and fewer of the oysters used for these roasts are coming from the South Carolina coast but are being imported. Like the shrimping and fishing industry, oyster harvesting along the South Carolina coast is on the decline. Large fisheries once lined the coast harvesting oysters but now few commercial fisherman harvest due to the rising costs and competition from imported oysters.
Barber contends there will always be oystering in South Carolina because of people like Lafayette who love the water. As long as the oyster beds are not disturbed by over development and runoff, he believes the industry will survive.
Lafayette ends his day washing the oysters with salt water before bagging and storing them.
Lafayette keeps on going though. As long as he is able to get on out on there and heave baskets of oysters into his boat, Lafayette will harvest. He loves oysters and loves his job. He must love both to endure razor sharp shells and pluff mud that sucks you under.
I am sure the masses who love oysters, oyster roasts and their fancy knives and gloves are happy he loves and keeps doing his job as well.
Paul Zoeller is a freelance photographer new to the area. Do you have an idea for a new blog or a question about a current blog? If you do contact Zoeller at paul.zoeller@mac.com.
