With Memorial Day weekend here again, the rite of passage into summer is upon us, and that means all the land-lubbers and puddle-jumpers will be out and about on the waterways. With good times often comes alcohol and a lack of safety, so SCDNR will be conducting annual boat inspections at public boat landings.

S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) boating safety and enforcement officers will perform a quick, but thorough, inspection for items such as required safety equipment and proper boat and motor registration. Those who are not in compliance with safety regulations or registration requirements will not be ticketed during the complimentary inspections. Instead, they will be given an opportunity to correct the problem before they launch their boat. DNR officers will also be available to answer questions and give boaters tips on how to stay safe on the water.

To report boating violations such as reckless operation or an intoxicated boat operator, call the DNR toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-922-5431. For a copy of South Carolina’s boating regulations, to find out about local boating safety courses or to obtain a free float plan form contact the DNR Boating Safety Office at 1-800-277-4301.

The schedule of their courtesy safety inspections are located on the SCDNR site.

If it weren’t for such rough winds right now – gale-force winds in Charleston Harbor and 14-foot swells offshore – every shrimp boat captain alive would be pulling out of Shem Creek, McClellanville, etc. right now, especially with the reduced [sic] fuel prices.

Those that do make it out will be rewarded with a nice catch – assuming everything goes according to plan – because SCDNR officials say shrimp have been keeping their own out in the ocean – the question, “is how many boats are gonna be out there to catch them?”

SCDNR also says that the in-water catch rate of immature loggerheads has been increasing, which at first sounds alarming, but then you realize it means management efforts such as nest protection and the required use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TED’s) in commercial shrimp trawl nets may be paying off.

“…in the Charleston shipping channel, catch rates have increased significantly since 1990.” – SCDNR

Although sea turtles were not captured in 75% of the tows, several noteworthy trends were evident for the 25% of tows that did capture sea turtles:

• * Loggerhead sea turtles accounted for 94 percent of all sea turtle species captured.
• * There was a strong north/south gradient in catch rates, with highest catch rates off northern Florida and southern Georgia.
• * A strong north/south gradient in loggerhead size was noted, with the greatest frequency of smaller loggerheads collected off northern Florida & southern Georgia.
• * Significant increases in catch rates were observed between 2000 & 2008 for two sizes of loggerheads, notably the size representing reproductively mature adults and the next smallest size group.