Shrimp Trawling

The tides were perfect Friday evening for pulling our 26' shrimp trawling net. Yet, we had one minor problem.  Someone had thoughtlessly decided to put a 'car' in the way. The Charleston City Police had just installed a new sonar on their Search and Rescue Boat. As they were launching the boat to try out they're new toy, one of the officers looked down at the screen and saw a CAR, lying upside down ten feet below the surface. Hey ... the sonar works! And, works pretty well! He was not only able to tell that it was a car, but one that was upside down!

So, after 4 hours of waiting to launch, we decided that shrimp trawling was not going to happen. We set our sites for the following morning.

So "bright and early" Saturday morning (actually it was pre-dawn so it wasn't "bright" at all, however,  it was quite "early") AnnahBelle and I set out for a spot offshore of Morris Island. And, we hit shrimp! And we hit jellyfish !!!! Jellyfish slime gets on the lines, the net,  our gloves, and the sorting table. When the stinging starts, your skin turns red, and the burning sets in. Oh fun! To combat this we have white vinegar in a spray bottle for just such occasions. And, we drenched ourselves in vinegar to quell the burn. It worked pretty well. We spell relief ... v-i-n-e-g-a-r!


We slipped up into Shem Creek and sold our catch to the wholesaler. The price  just about covered the fuel expenses. As the season progresses, both the amount of catch, the size of the shrimp, and price should increase. Today the shrimp were 26-30 count, which means it takes 26-30 shrimp to make a pound. We ended our day with a dinner of shrimp we had held back from the wholesaler, along with wings of a nice size stingray that we filleted and sauteed in garlic and butter. Bon Appetit!

SCK's Finale !!!!!

The Stone Crab Kids wrapped up the research project with a presentation from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Mr. Mel Bell, the Director of Fisheries Management, accompanied by DNR Officer Ben Whaley, read and presented Josiah, AnnahBelle, and Sarah with letters of appreciation for their research efforts on behalf of SCDNR. The letters were beautifully composed, and eloquently portrayed the value of the kids' efforts. (I plan to publish and share that letter on the blog at a later date.)

What the SCK's didn't know was that a few other letters had shown up in the mail. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley sent individual letters stating how proud she was of the SCKs. The letters arrived in dark blue folders with the SC State Seal embossed in gold print on the cover. United States Congressman Tim Scott, born and raised right here in Charleston, wrote a friendly letter of congratulations. And United States Senator Jim DeMint, followed up the letter of encouragement he wrote a year and a half ago when the project first started, expressing his desire to see the SCKs taking on future projects.

All in all, it was a fun little ceremony surrounded by our friends and supporters from the West Ashley Outboard Motor Club. 

But just remember this ... Officials can make memorable presentations, politicians can write glowing letters ... but after the hoop-lah is over, it is Capt. Dad that takes the Stone Crab Kids out for ICE CREAM !!!!!

* As I compile information and gather thoughts, I will write about some of the interesting findings we captured from this research. *

A heart felt thank you to all who shared in this adventure.

Next up for the SCKs ..... the love affair with salt water continues in the form of shrimp trawling!