Hear personal accounts from select Aquarium staff members of recent trips to the Gulf, where they have aided in sea turtle rescue and vitally important dolphin surveying.

Enjoy live performances by Red Top Ramblers, Henry’s Attic and a special appearance from Mark Bryan of Hootie and the Blowfish, and Doug Jones and Gary Greene from Cravin’ Melon.

Cajun food will be provided by Krewe of Charleston, and beer and non-alcoholic products will be served.

Proceeds from the event will support the South Carolina Aquarium’s wildlife care, conservation and rescue programs, as well as allow the Aquarium to lend world-class care and expertise to the Gulf.

Tickets are $30 per person.
Additional donations will be accepted at the door.
Saturday, July 17, 2010 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Advance reservations suggested by calling (843) 577-FISH (3474).
The event is held in partnership with Awendaw Green, Sewee Outpost, Krewe of Charleston and Palmetto Brewery.

From the Shem Creek blog.

Save Our Seas, a SC Aquarium event benefiting wildlife rescue at home and in the Gulf Coast

In it, we see deep-sea creatures glowing in the dark in all their spectacular glory.

Not all bioluminescent sea creatures are deep-sea though – she shows some dolphins swimming through the glowing water of the harbor’s surface, cool stuff!

From the Shem Creek blog.

Bioluminescence in Shem Creek

That’s fine, but I consider it a waste of gas on their part. If all the fish are gone, what would they do then? Once there’s proof things are okay, the government will loosen their restrictions, and we’ll all be able to enjoy fishing again.

Legare Smith, captain of a private sport fishing boat, says “What if they come back and say dolphin or wahoo numbers are down?” I’m assuming it’s because their population numbers are too low to sustain themselves – surely they’re not trying to drive away our tourism dollars…

Don’t forget: NOAA declared four fish stocks fully rebuilt as a result of international fishing pressure, so they’re on the right track with their regulations.

Overfishing is going to be the death of the fishing industry unless steps are taken to curb our ferocious appetites for seafood, and I for one, am 100% behind the government regulations, because I love seafood so much and want it to always be here – if you do, you should be encouraging their sustainability efforts.

For more information on new fishing regulations, visit South Atlantic Fishery Management Council website, where you can read the current Snapper Grouper Recreational Regulations Summary.

That ‘United We Fish’ rally will be held Feb. 24, from noon to 3 p.m. in Washington. For more information, go to unitedwefish.blogspot.com.

From the Shem Creek blog.

Gee, lets keep fishing ’til there are no more out there!

The basic idea behind the EPA’s new Watershed Central website is to assist us develop and implement effective watershed management programs. The site includes guidance, tools, case studies, and data sets to help share information, analyze data, and identify opportunities to initiate or strengthen our watershed efforts.

On the site, you can look at any body of water across the country and see some interesting facts that everyday citizens probably aren’t familiar with: pulling up S.C. data shows that
61% of impaired coastal S.C. water is because of fecal coliform

Checking to see whether or not Shem Creek has fecal coliform shows:
Waterbody Name: SHEM CK AT BRDG ON US 17.

So from the Watershed Central website, now I’ve learned something I really would rather have not known – thanks EPA!

Last week, somebody asked if dolphins swim in Shem Creek – besides the high diesel content, now they have fecal matter to worry about too!

UPDATE: Shem Creek is clean according to the EPA.

From the Shem Creek blog.

What’s in Shem Creek’s water

The PSA reminds viewers that feeding wild dolphins is not only illegal, it is harmful to dolphins, even causing some to rely on begging for food from humans, upsetting their natural role as hunters and altering their diets.
Credit: NOAA

If you haven’t seen any dolphins in Shem Creek yourself, here’s a great photo from DougieFish from what looks to be atop Red’s:

From the Shem Creek blog.

NOAA: Don’t Feed Wild Dolphins