Appearance on LowCountry Live

AnnahBelle and Sarah, as well as Kim Counts of SCDNR,  appeared on the WCIV LowCountrry Live show this morning. They all did a great job. Dave Williams, who went out to pull pots with us Monday evening, conducted the interview. And as Kim answered Dave's questions, I learned details about our research project that I had never heard before. The original research project had been a three year grant. South Carolina had not lost its funding as much as the money, i.e. the grant, just ran out. Either way, the SCK's, are happy to continue the gathering of information.

The interview will be posted as soon as we receive a copy from the station.

As has become a custom, Dave Williams continued teaching the kids about the weather and the inner workings of a television production. The kids helped create the graphics for the news, assisted in the taping of a weather segment, tested their skills (or lack of) at announcing the weather in front of the 'green screen', toured the control room,  and pretended to read copy from the news desk. And in the great tradition of home school moms, Kimberly counted this as a field trip.

After the show there was talk of the SCK's making another appearance during the holidays. This time we will do what everyone in the studio wants most of all .... cooking stone crab claws...which inherently involves the consumption thereof. All hail the dedicated folks at WCIV who are willings to eat stone crab for their ... fans.

TV Crew Rides Along

The SCK's will be making another appearance on the Lowcountry Live program on Charleston's Channel 4 WCIV - ABC.  David  (Host) and Richard (Camera and Production) climbed aboard the F/V Dirt Claw'd to get video for the upcoming show. David is an avid saltwater fisherman and took to the pitching deck with ease. Richard, however, spent a few moments in a state of equilibrium challenge. As the SCK's began the process of pulling pots, harvesting claws, and recording data, it was Richard that got right into the action. Soon enough, he was leaning over the gunwale ... not from seasickness but rather filming with one hand and pulling pots aboard with the other. It may have been Richard who enjoyed the trip more than anyone.

Stan Jones (Harbor Master) of Charleston Harbor Marina graciously allowed us to used their docks to shuffle people on and off the boat, as well as putting us onto some nice stone crab at the south end of their marina. That made it super convenient for filming!

Kimberly (also know as Mom) stayed on the dock to take some pictures of the crew while we worked. Walking along the dock afforded her the unique opportunity to hear conversations from aboard various boats moored in the marina. Boaters explaining to other boaters who the SCK's were and what they were doing. It is always amazing how many people know about the Stone Crab Kids. Some with binoculars eyeing the operation and taking note of the camera crew. Sometimes, when filthy clothes cover the laundry room floor, when we consider re-decorating in a puff mud colored pattern to match the stains, or when the house has the faint scent of day old menhaden, we can forget just how wonderful it is to be blessed with these precious children. Oh yea ... and the dog too!

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.

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.