SCDNR Comes Aboard.

The SCKs pulled pots with two of our friends from SCDNR (South Carolina Department of Natural Resources). Kim Counts and Gered Lennon may have thought they were acting as observers, but the SCKs enjoyed putting them to work pulling pots and recording data. And of course, Kim and Gered were delighted to get involved in the action. Kim is our immediate contact with SCDNR and provides watch care over the SCKs Research Project. Gered has a load of practical knowledge because he had conducted much of the stone crab research prior to SCDNR losing its funding.


The kids loved having them aboard and we caught crab. The girls impressed Gered with their teamwork and skill. However, to Capt. Dad, they seemed sloppy due to the silly, giggly factor being ramped up by having spectators aboard.

Both girls are still a little timid about harvesting the claws. Mostly because they are concerned about harming the crab. Improper harvesting can cause injury to the crab, many times leading to death. Gered, who has harvested 'many-a-claw' helped improve their technique. Both girls harvested claws with perfect results. Kim is always interested in the SCK's data collection and methods so she grabbed a pencil and 'dove right in'.  There was a nasty rumor aboard that Kim didn't want to get muddy. So Sarah gladly brought the nasty mud to Kim along with animated explanations about how they collect data.

All in all it was a fun time on the water. The SCK's learned and they laughed as they were re-energized by and re-connected with our friends from SCDNR.