Spotted Carapace

The SCKs asked SCDNR why this stone crab's back shell (called a carapace) was spotted. We had never seen a spotted or speckled carapace before.

Gered Lennon, who was actually one of the field researchers with SCDNR prior to the formation of the SCKs,  responded with the following:


"It is hard to describe a stone crab.  I have read descriptions.  They are long and use the words “may or may not have….” commonly.   They may or may not have that deep olive color.  They may or may not have speckles.  To make it worse the same crab may develop or over time, lose colors or spots.  They do not use tattoos or body piercings." 


As far as we know this is true ... we have yet to pull a stone crab with a tattoo or a body piercing. But if we do you, I can guarantee you that the SCKs will get lots of pictures.

Someone's always watching!

At this point in our epic tale, you should know that I am the Captain of a  silly crew of children. They are always watching, always hanging around, always seeking new heights with 'unusual attitudes'. And, forever making waves in a No Wake Zone!

The SKC's set back in the South Battery section of the Charleston Harbor, and it has continued to prove productive despite a poor showing on our earlier set. There are a lot more females here than there were in Wadmalaw Sound. But we haven't seen the young crab or babies in the harbor. However we did find one that was regenerating a new claw. That is always encouraging.

One interesting find was a stone crab with a spotted or speckled carapace (back shell).  We will send a picture over to Kim Counts ( SCDNR ) and she will provide us with an explanation that we can share.

The kids can get the new boat just as muddy as they did the small one. But I am now far enough away from the action that I rarely get splattered. Surprisingly this boat is far easier to clean. With the 'raw water' wash down hose, the boat is pretty much clean by the time we get back to the landing. 

The boat's clean. The kids are as filthy as ever !!!

Shorter Days

 Traveling back home at night is far more comfortable for a weary crew ( ... and an equally tired, faithful dog) inside of the cabin. Before Claw'd, the kids would sit in the bow of our old, open, center console boat joyfully spitting the hulls of sunflower seeds into the wind as it rushed by their innocent little heads. Of course, the wind was hurling passed them carrying their slimy seed hulls and slapping me in the face at 30 mph, not to mention the misting of the occasional ... 'dog sneeze'.  Now you know why that in any of the pictures of Capt. Dad, he's always wearing sunglasses.

For those who are following the blog regularly, you know that due to a heavily tangled line, we lost a trap to the deep. Our only hope was that there was enough line extended so that at low tide the buoy may be able to reach the surface. Dead low tide was at 5:10 PM. So the first thing we did is search for any sign of that lost pot. But, the pot was no where to be found. So the SCK's checked and set back all their pots, including an a new pot we had brought along to replace the one that was lost. After setting back I noticed one pot way out of line with the rest. We counted back and realized we had one more pot than we had set. When Josiah snagged the buoy, there was no slack of extra line and the motion of the boat moving forward threaten to pull him over. Every bit of line was stretched out tightly to break the surface. As it came up, there was a huge tangle of line. We recovered our lost pot!!!

Research Note: When we left the South Battery side of the harbor, the stone crab where plentiful. Yesterday was the first time we've  been back in months. The traps had a good number of good-size stone crab, however they were either harvested or had no claws at all. We go back tomorrow evening. Maybe it was an anomaly.

Deck Hand-ettes

Early this Sunday morning, the girls and I went out to move pots to better grounds. And were greeted with a spectacular sunrise. A early fall chill was in the air and the waters were slick as glass.

Without Josiah in the boat, I fill in as the muscle. And the girls pitched in with the lighter tasks. While Sarah (8 yrs old) handled our boat, Claw'd, like a pygmy pro, AnnahBelle (10 yrs old) snagged the buoys.

( Editors Note: We say snag the buoys on our boat. It is common to say hook the buoy. Therefore on our boat the accompanying position would be a "snagger" rather than a ...... well, you get the idea. I can't quite bring myself to reference my precious little girls as ... the other. )

We were setting pots back into the South Battery portion of Charleston Harbor, I tossed a pot over board while Sarah keep pace with the boat. As the pot hit the water, I positioned my hand beneath the trailing line to monitor the feed and ensure that the trailing buoy cleared the deck. When I looked down I saw a rat's nest of tangle heading my way. Everyone's first instinct is to grab the tangle and try to free the mess before it goes over the side. And that would be a big, big mistake. Many a finger has been lost and deck hand pulled overboard attempting such a feat. The tangle disappeared below the surface as did the buoy with the
weight of the pot. Hopefully,  there was enough length of line to allow the buoy to reach the surface at low tide.

Yesterday, my wise and beautiful wife, declared that there would be no more flip-flops while crabbing. This morning, a feisty little blue crab grabbed Sarah's finger hard enough to draw blood. She was supposed to be driving but got excited and stuck her bare hand into the pot. When I pulled the crab off of her, it dropped directly onto my foot, and grabbed my exposed toe ... hard enough to draw blood. Why was my toe exposed ... flip-flops! A wise wife is a precious thing!