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.
May 17, 2009
Saltwater Recreational Fishing License changes
License fees aren’t changing, but effective July 1, 2009, SCDNR has made several modifications to existing rules for saltwater fishing across South Carolina’s state and federal waters.
Currently a saltwater recreational fishing license is required for people:
- * Harvesting oysters or clams
- * Fishing for fin-fish from a private boat or transporting catch in a private boat.
The new legislation will also require a saltwater recreational fishing license for:
- * Recreationally fishing from shore (beach, bank, private dock, free public pier, etc.)
- * Recreationally harvesting shrimp and/or crab.
We can purchase a license 24/7 via 1-866-714-3611 or www.dnr.sc.gov/purchase.html.
There are a few exceptions allowing people to harvest marine resources without a saltwater recreational fishing license:
January 22, 2009
Loggerhead nesting for 2008 was 7th highest year on record
It’s great to hear that 2008 was a great year for loggerhead turtle nest sightings – 3x better than 2004 sightings – but it’s still a far cry from previous highs. The Marine Turtle Conservation Program website has lots of data if you want more information.
Meanwhile, SeaTurtle.org shows Charleston County has the most stranded turtle nests in SC (possibly due to it’s long coastline), and most of those were loggerheads:
| Loggerhead | Green | Kemp’s Ridley | Leatherback | Hawksbill | No ID | Total | |
| Beaufort | 6 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 37 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| Colleton | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Georgetown | 10 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 |
December 9, 2008
Lobster-size tiger shrimp caught off S.C.
No, that’s not a lobster, it’s a giant Asian tiger shrimp.
When Kemp Toomer of Bluffton, S.C. caught this jumbo shrimp, his “crewman jumped back from the pile because he was scared of it,” Payne remembered with a laugh. “It was big and black and snapping. … He had never seen a shrimp that color and that size. It was new to him.”
It’s unclear exactly where the Asian tiger shrimp came from, but these record size shrimp have been caught off South Carolina over the last few weeks. Other Asian tiger shrimp sightings range from Florida to N.C., Alabama, and Louisiana.
