Temperatures in the SC Lowcountry took another dip this week. In fact we got about 4" of snow in coastal South Carolina. The runoff into the creeks and rivers made for chilly water, and the stone crab have stayed down in the mud where it is nice and warm. Well if you consider 58 F warm!
As a point of interest, the term 'mudding in' is when the crabs dig down into the soft bottom mud to wait out the winter cold. Our local bottom mud, known as 'pluff mud,' is a soft mixture of silt, sand, and the slime of years and years of decayed sea life and vegetation. The lofting hydrogen sulfide smell during extreme low tides is a lowcountry classic. During the hayday of rice cultivation, pluff mud was known as
Carolina Gold. The rich nutrient base of the mud yielded bountiful crops and made the SC coastal regions the world's major rice producer. Similar mud banks are located in the Gulf Coast states but the mud is stiffer, and hence harder to cultivate. The pluff mud in the Lowcountry is sink-to-your-knees soft, and many a tennis shoe and flip flop have been lost to its quicksand like sucking power.
God, in His infinite wisdom, created a tidal system by which many differing types of toxins are worked down deep into this mud and captured in the boggy layers. As nature's toxins are supplemented by local industries, this natural method of collection plays an important role in keeping our waterways and estuaries clean. Because the stone crab dig down far deeper in the mud than blue crab, stone crab are a natural barometer of the condition and levels of various toxins in the mud. As the water warms and the stone crab begin to emerge from the depths, scientists can measure the toxin levels on the stone crab's shell. Using this information, decisions can be made with regard to everything from dredging shipping channels to permitting new industry, even before the first shovel of dirt is turned.
As a point of interest, the term 'mudding in' is when the crabs dig down into the soft bottom mud to wait out the winter cold. Our local bottom mud, known as 'pluff mud,' is a soft mixture of silt, sand, and the slime of years and years of decayed sea life and vegetation. The lofting hydrogen sulfide smell during extreme low tides is a lowcountry classic. During the hayday of rice cultivation, pluff mud was known as Carolina Gold. The rich nutrient base of the mud yielded bountiful crops and made the SC coastal regions the world's major rice producer. Similar mud banks are located in the Gulf Coast states but the mud is stiffer, and hence harder to cultivate. The pluff mud in the Lowcountry is sink-to-your-knees soft, and many a tennis shoe and flip flop have been lost to its quicksand like sucking power.
God, in His infinite wisdom, created a tidal system by which many differing types of toxins are worked down deep into this mud and captured in the boggy layers. As nature's toxins are supplemented by local industries, this natural method of collection plays an important role in keeping our waterways and estuaries clean. Because the stone crab dig down far deeper in the mud than blue crab, stone crab are a natural barometer of the condition and levels of various toxins in the mud. As the water warms and the stone crab begin to emerge from the depths, scientists can measure the toxin levels on the stone crab's shell. Using this information, decisions can be made with regard to everything from dredging shipping channels to permitting new industry, even before the first shovel of dirt is turned.
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