THE LETTER - "Annah Bethel and Sarah"

 "Sen. Jim DeMint sent us a letter about how proud he is of us for doing this stone crab research project. We are really excited about it because he is a United States Senator,"says a grinning, bright-eyed Annah Bethel.

"That's cool!!!!!!!!!!" Sarah exclaims.  He wrote this to us, "I'm so proud of your initiative and determination in continuing the stone research crab project!" 


And from the Dad of the group, "The letter was full of gracious encouragement. I sincerely appreciate Senator DeMint taking time write my children. They are planning to frame this memento."

Why Orange Bullets?

Two weeks ago the water temperature was bumping up around 49 F, and after the snow last week, 46 F. However, during the week, John Keener, whose office at the Charleston Crab House looks out over our traps, reported that several dolphins had been diving around one of our pots.  They were most likely feeding on blue crabs attracted to our pig's feet bait.  'Blues' are running now.  So, I have decided to rig and set another four prospect pots in areas known to be havens for stone crab.  With the sun out, and the days growing longer, the water temperature will rise steadily, and we want to be on the first stone crab.


Josiah wrote earlier about the different types of crab traps, and I wanted to say something about the buoys.  There are basically three types of buoys; round, football, and bullet.  We are using orange bullet buoys.  Orange, because they are easy to spot on the water (not to mention that we are Clemson Tiger fans). And, bullet buoys because they ride higher in the water under strong current. The rounded pointed end faces into the current while the full cylinder rear lends greater buoyancy to stick up and out of the water.  Each buoy must be marked with the crabber's commercial license identification number.  Our number is A93.

On each rig I have tied a 'looped figure eight knot' so that we could attach the SCDNR's research tag.  The tag lets other commercial crabbers, on whom we may accidentally encroach, the general 'crab loving public', as well as SCDNR Wildlife Law Enforcement Officers that these traps are slated for research.

Will the SCDNR tag with the big, official, glaring, "DO NOT DISTURB" proclamation keep us out of trouble?  Not a snowball's chance!

Snow Crab KIds?

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.

Photo Op

First-mate, Mom, took pictures of Matt Winter taking pictures of the 'crew' as we checked traps near the Charleston Crab House. Matt is the editor of the Tidelines section of the Post & Courier. Tidelines features our local maritime community, interests, and events. Matt pulled a calf muscle hog hunting and still got out at early on a Sunday morning. That's either dedication or .... he doesn't have any better sense than the SCK's.

The water temperature is still too cold for much activity, and, as you can tell from our apparel, the air temperature is pretty chilly as well. One of our three traps was missing. We are hoping a strong pulling tide will free the buoy.  If not, it may have gotten clipped by a propeller.  That's why we have escape hatches built into the traps.

One exciting point was when they pulled the first trap and saw something in the trap. What they originally thought was a stone crab turned out to be ... the pig's feet we had as bait. Soon the water will warm, the 'stones' will be moving, and the excitement will turn from "Do we have crabs?" to ... "Now that we have crabs, how do we keep from getting pinched? "

Traps: Stone vs. Blue by Josiah

The stone crab and the blue crab are two different types of crustaceans, therefore they require two different designs of traps.  The stone crab don't swim, they crawl and climb, so they like fast moving, dark, cramped environments.  Blue crab swim, so they like shallow, slower moving water.

Blue crab traps generally have four entrances, called gates, in the sides.  Whereas, stone crab traps have one entrance on the top called a funnel.  The blue crab trap has different compartments.  It has the gates, the kitchen, the bait well, the skirts, and the bin.  The blue crab enters through the gate into the kitchen area.  He is able to pick at the bait through the wire mesh of the bait well.  When he is finished feeding, he naturally swims up through the skirt and enters the bin.

But with a stone crab trap, the stone crab climbs up the side of the trap and drops down through the funnel into the bin where the bait is stored.  Because he can't swim, he can't get out.

Blue crap traps are made of wire mesh. The traps we are using for stone crab are black plastic with a concrete floor. The weight difference is significant. The blue crab trap weighs 22 pounds, while the stone crab trap is half the size, and weighs 33 pounds.

The weight of the stone crab trap helps it stay in place during the hard pulling tides of the new and full moons.  These are called spring tides when change in level is the greatest.

The stone crab trap has an escape hatch in the event a trap becomes lost.  The piece of wood screwed in over the hatch will rot away allowing the stone craps go freely and it not be a killing machine (ghost trap).  Instead, it will become a natural environment for the stone crab.