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Diamondback terrapins - 12 Women of the Water - 15 Marine Patrol Ride Along - 19 June 2016
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I n the T ides 05 Editor’s Note - Hurricane Season 06 Community Updates 08 One More Cast 09
Point of Sail
10 Gray’s Reef - Rivers & Reefs
12
11 Did You Know? 12
Diamondback Terrapins
15
Women of the Water: Sarah Fangman
17
Women of the Water: Jamee Barnard
19 Marine Patrol Ride Along 22 The Bitter End 23
19
Fishin’ For Jamie
About the Cover: SC DNR Researchers are studying diamondback terrapins, an important inhabitant of our coastal waters. Photo provided by SC DNR Photos Above: Top - Terrapins are measured before release. Photo provided by SC DNR Bottom - Marine Patrol will begin reporting to Chatham County in July. Photo by Amy Thurman June 2016
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It’s not just ART ... It’s a STORY.
Staff Publisher/Editor – Amy Thurman amy@southerntidesmagazine.com Assistant Editor - Amelia Dence amelia@southerntidesmagazine.com SC Feature Writer - Cameron Rhodes thetailingfish@gmail.com The Bitter End Columnist - Captain J. Gary “Gator” Hill jgaryhill@gmail.com
Tell us YOUR story.
Mitch Pennington
One More Cast Columnist - Captain Brian Woelber captainbrian@onemorecast.com Point of Sail Columnist - Peggy Riley sales@dunbaryachts.com Gray’s Reef Contributor - Michelle Riley michelle.riley@noaa.gov SC DNR Contributor - Erin Weeks weekse@dnr.sc.gov
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Specializing in redfish (spot tail bass), tarpon, sheepshead, trout, flounder, striper, cobia, and shark.
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PO Box 30724 Wilmington Island, GA 31410 (912) 484-3611 info@southerntidesmagazine.com www.SouthernTidesMagazine.com Visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/pages/southern-tides-magazine Follow us on Instagram at southern_tidesmag Follow us on Twitter at Southern Tides To subscribe, mail check for $25.00, payable to Southern Tides Magazine, to the address above. Subscription is for one year/12 issues.
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June 2016
E ditor’s N ote A
Storm Categories Wind Speed
Hurricane Season
s of this writing, we’ve had three named storms this year, two of which (Alex and Bonnie) occurred before the official start of Hurricane Season on June 1, followed by Colin in the first week of June. When you take a quick look at history, you’ll see that the last hurricane to cause significant damage in the U.S. was Hurricane Ike which struck Galveston as a Category 2 in 2008. The last major hurricane to strike coastal Georgia directly was in 1898, a Category 4 storm that struck Cumberland Island, resulting in the deaths of 179 people and with a 20foot storm surge. And of course everyone in South Carolina recalls Hugo in 1989. Although there’s no way to predict when or if our coastal area will ever take another direct hit from a storm, we can’t allow ourselves to become complacent in being ready. Even a Category 1 storm, with wind speeds from 74 to 95 mph, can produce a large storm surge that will require evacuation of most areas east of the ICW. Trying to list everything you can and need to do to prep for a possible hurricane in one page is impossible, but here’s a little food for thought and some resources to help you prepare on your own. And it would be foolish not to.
Emergency Management Agencies can be a good source of disaster planning guides and information. Listed here are links to Federal, State and County agency websites. Where no information is provided on the website, contact information is listed instead. FEMA - www.fema.gov Georgia (GEMA) - www.gema.ga.gov South Carolina (SCEMD) - www.scemd.org Georgia Counties Bryan - Chief Freddy Howell email: fhowell@bryan-county.org Camden - http://www.co.camden.ga.us/81/emergency-management Chatham - http://www.chathamemergency.org/ Glynn - https://glynncounty.org/557/emergency-management-agency Liberty - http://www.libertycountyga.com/department/index.php?structureid=17 McIntosh - raygema@darientel.com (no contact name provided) South Carolina Counties (Southern Tides distribution areas) Beaufort - http://www.bcgov.net/images/slider/2016SCHurricaneGuide.pdf Charleston - http://www.charlestoncounty.org/departments/emergency-management/ Colleton - Suzanne P. Gant email: cocepa@colletoncounty.org Jasper - http://www.jaspercountysc.org/secondary.aspx?pageID=45 For the Official Georgia Hurricane Guide, a printable PDF with useful information, visit: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/images/jax/2014_Ga_Hurricane_ Guide/Georgia_Hurricane_Guide_done.pdf Several of the county emergency management websites I’ve listed here have very little information to aid in preparing. If your county is one of those, please visit the Chatham County site and the NWS site, both of which have extensive lists and handbooks that will help you. It might not be a bad idea to contact your county’s emergency management director and ask that they step up their game. The information is out there and not difficult to compile. June 2016
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Category
Tropical Depression Up to 38 (mph) Tropical Storm (named) 39 - 73 Category 1 74 - 95 Category 2 96 - 110 Category 3 111 - 129 Category 4 130 - 156 Category 5 157 +
2016 Storm Names Alex Bonnie Colin Danielle Earl Fiona Gaston Hermine Ian Julia Karl
Lisa Matthew Nicole Otto Paula Richard Shary Tobias Virginie Walter
Storm names are recycled every six years. Names are typically retired if the storm causes major loss of life. If all 21 names are used, naming moves to the Greek Alphabet.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is predicting an average year, but it’s important to note that their expert forecasters are having a difficult time making predictions this year due to the uncertainty of reinforcing or competing climate influences such as La Nina. They do, however, predict more activity than the previous three years. Be safe. Have a plan.
Amy Thurman Editor-In-Chief
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Georgia and South Carolina Oyster Seasons Close and Shrimping Seasons Open Oyster harvest closed in Georgia waters on June 1 for both commercial and recreational harvest. South Carolina’s oyster harvest season closed on May 15. Oyster harvest in both states will reopen in the fall. Georgia waters opened June 1 for commercial and recreational shrimping for food shrimp, including power-drawn trawls, cast nets, and beach seines. The season should remain open through the end of December. South Carolina commercial shrimp trawling season opened in most state waters on May 16. This early date is due to predicted high numbers of white shrimp. For more information, visit the appropriate state website: Georgia: http://coastalgadnr.org/ South Carolina: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/
Black gill stakeholders meeting set for June 22
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As the 2016 Georgia shrimping season gets underway, the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, and the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will host a meeting to present the latest research and other information on black gill in Georgia and South Carolina shrimp. The meeting will be held at the UGA Marine Extension Aquarium at the north end of Skidaway Island in Savannah, Ga. on Wednesday, June 22, from 1-4 p.m. Black gill is a condition caused by a microscopic parasite affecting the coastal shrimp population. Many shrimpers believe black gill may be largely responsible for reduced shrimp harvests in recent years. UGA Skidaway Institute scientist Marc Frischer is leading a research project, now in its third year, into the causes and effects of black gill on the Georgia and South Carolina shrimp population. The purpose of the meeting, which is open to the public, is to provide stakeholders, such as shrimpers, fish house owners, wholesalers or anyone else interested in black gill, with an update on black gill research efforts. The meeting is for In this slide of a shrimp gill, the round purple nodes at information purposes only; top left are the ciliate; the brown discoloration no management decisions is melanin. will be made. Image courtesy of Dr. Anna Walker, MD, For additional information, Mercer University School of Medicine contact Bryan Fluech, UGA Marine Extension, at (912) 264-7269. 6
SouthernTidesMagazine.com
June 2016
Statesboro Resident Sets New Men’s State Record for Blackfin Tuna Tyler Deal, of Statesboro, GA, caught a large blackfin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) while trolling the Triple Ledge offshore of Savannah on April 30, 2016. He took the fish to Savannah Yacht Club where it weighed in at 40 pounds, 8 ounces on a Georgia Department of Agriculture certified scale. Deal received a certificate acknowledging his record catch, which will be added to the Georgia Saltwater Gamefish Records list published at www. coastalgadnr.org and will be included in the 2017 Georgia Sport Fishing Regulations. This new state record catch replaces the existing men’s record of 38 pounds, 10 ounces, established in 2005 by Teddy Elrod. Blackfin is the smallest tuna species in the Thunnus genus, generally growing to a maximum of 39 inches in length and weighing 46 pounds. They are found in tropical and warm temperate waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and range from North Carolina to Brazil. This is a pelagic schooling fish that feeds near the surface on a diet of small fishes, squid, crustaceans, and plankton. The current list of men’s and women’s saltwater fish records is available at www.CoastalGaDNR.org along with information on how to submit a fish for addition to the Georgia Saltwater Gamefish Records. In addition to an accurate weight, it’s important to provide several color photographs of the fish along with the application. Anglers wishing to enter a fish for a new state record must have the fish weighed on a Georgia Department of Agriculture certified scale in the presence of at least one witness. Certified scales can be found at local seafood markets, grocery stores and agricultural supply stores. During business hours, anglers can have their catch weighed at the Coastal Regional Headquarters in Brunswick. For more information, contact the GA DNR/ Coastal Resources Division at (912) 264-7218.
Statesboro resident Tyler Deal with his state record setting 40-pound 8-ounce blackfin tuna. Photo provided by GA DNR
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ow that the temperatures are getting hot, so is the fishing! We have everything here from redfish, trout, and flounder, to triple tail and cobia, and soon Spanish and king mackerel, and tarpon. So let’s talk about the different rigs to use. I’ve always been told to keep it simple, so that’s what I do. I can fish every day and pretty much use just two different rigs. You could say one is a high tide rig and one is a low tide rig. One is a Carolina rig, which can be used with different weights depending on depth and current, and the other is a popping cork rig. Let’s look at the Carolina rig first. It is so simple, but very effective. You start with your main line and feed on an egg sinker, usually a one-ounce, but sometimes smaller when the tide is slow and you’re not fishing too deep – just enough weight to hold bottom. Then tie on a 75-pound barrel swivel and attach a nine- to 12-inch fluorocarbon leader to a No. 1 Kahle hook. And that’s it! I’ll use this rig to catch redfish on the flats and to work under the docks, or even for sheepshead and sharks in the channel. Leader size depends on the species being targeted, with lighter leaders for trout, to 40-pound leaders Top image: Carolina rig. Bottom: Popping cork rig for sharks and whiting. Photos by Brian Woelber The other rig, a high tide rig, is a popping cork. I like Cajun Thunders because of the sound they make. Tie the cork to the main line with brass beads toward the bottom. From there, depending on the fish I’m targeting, I use a fluorocarbon leader, usually three to four feet: 15-pound for trout, 30-pound for redfish and triple tail. Then tie on a double swiveled weight, usually 3/8-ounce, to get bait into the strike zone. On the bottom side of the weight, tie no longer than nine inches or so of the leader to a No.1 Kahle hook. If the bottom leader from the weight to the hook is longer than nine inches, you may find yourself getting a lot of tangles. If this happens, shorten the leader length. Both rigs can be fished with live, dead, or artificial baits. By only using two rigs, it’s easier to keep up with tackle and to teach the kids how to tie their own rigs. Try using these two simple rigs and hopefully it will make your fishing day a little more productive! Remember – release a fish today so you can catch two tomorrow!
Email Captain Brian at captainbrian@onemorecast.com
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SouthernTidesMagazine.com
June 2016
P oint of S ail Sailing in the City
By Connie Polk
E
very year on a Saturday in spring, Lake Mayer becomes a bustling center of sailing, as the Savannah Sailing Center (SSC) holds its Annual Regatta for Children with Autism. Funded entirely by donations from sponsors, this event serves a two-fold purpose: to raise awareness of autism and to introduce families to a sport they may never have considered trying or perhaps considered, but didn’t know where to begin. It also provides a means to give back to the community in a very unique way, by inviting children with autism and their families to experience the joy of sailing, at no charge to the families. As many as 200 people attended, some who were new to the event, as well as ‘old salts’ returning from previous years. On shore, volunteers from local high school sailing teams and their families, local sponsors, as well as other members and supporters of the Sailing Center, helped serve food, man activities, and supervise special nautical-themed crafts, such as building wooden boats and making pinwheels. On the docks and on the water were seasoned sailors and coaches, assisting with life jackets and guiding sometimes nervous newcomers to a variety of sailing vessels which were waiting to take them on the ride of a lifetime. A great gift is given and received by everyone on this day. Volunteers get as much as they give as they introduce these children to their sailing passion and the children return the favor with their joy and awe. This was my second year as a
Volunteers and families having fun sailing. Photo by Connie Polk
volunteer and the one thing I’m aware of is how quickly fears and hesitation disappear. These feelings were replaced with smiles and expressions of wonder, from children and adults alike, as they sailed past the safety boat and waved for the camera, confident in their skipper’s abilities and amazed by the adventure they’ve embarked upon. Once back on land, their laughter and chatter speaks of an experience they aren’t likely to forget anytime soon. Hopefully they loved it enough to return again next year. Savannah Sailing Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the sport of sailing and has been teaching children and adults since shortly after the 1996 Olympics when the sailing venue was in Savannah. SSC holds week long camps for children ages 5-15 throughout the summer, and Saturday lessons are held for adults and children from March through October. Programs through local schools and colleges are also available. The newest addition to their curriculum is Women on the Water (WOW), a class to encourage more women to join the sport as beginners, or to improve their current skills. The next WOW class begins June 18. For more information about learning to sail visit the Savannah Sailing Center website http://savannahsailingcenter. org, or contact them. (912) 352-9996 or savsailing@yahoo.com.
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Gray’s Reef Rivers & Reefs
By Chad Larsen
Intern Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary
T
his month, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary hosts the 13th annual Rivers to Reefs workshop for educators in association with the Georgia Aquarium, Gordon State College, and the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. Rivers to Reefs is an educational expedition of a lifetime for teachers, focused on Georgia’s Altamaha River watershed. During the six-day trip, teachers will canoe the Oconee, Ocmulgee, and Altamaha rivers into the Sapelo estuary, then boat to Gray’s Reef, learning and exploring the connections between the watershed and the ocean. Cathy Sakas, Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation chair and a leader of the Rivers to Reefs program, explains, “All of us in Georgia, the USA, North America, anywhere on the planet Earth, touch a watershed every day.” Teachers participating in Rivers to Reefs will soon discover that Georgia is a state full of wonders that need to be protected. Each of the seven regions of Georgia (Appalachian Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, Upper Coastal
Plain and Lower Coastal Plain) enjoys a diverse ecosystem, interconnected via the watersheds. Many people are surprised to learn that the sand and sediment of Georgia’s coastal plains comes from the Appalachian Mountains and is carried hundreds of miles by the watershed. When beachcombers pick up sand on the coastal plains, they are picking up microscopic pieces of mountains. Sediment also helped create Gray’s Reef, one of the largest near-shore live bottom reefs in the southeastern United States. Gray’s Reef is not a coral reef, since its foundation is not living hard corals, but instead is a limestone reef, formed by the cementing and consolidation of marine and terrestrial fragments, such as sand, shell fragments, coral skeletons, and mud. Along with sediment, the watershed of Georgia brings nutrients that provide food for plants and microorganisms, providing building blocks for entire ecosystems, including Gray’s Reef. The reef is habitat to so many invertebrates that the creatures form a dense carpet over its limestone outcroppings, giving the reef the name “live bottom.” Without these microorganisms and nutrients carried to the ocean by Georgia’s rivers, the wonder that is Gray’s Reef wouldn’t exist. Georgia’s wildlife-rich ecosystems, fed by the watersheds, gave people the ability to thrive in earlier times, including the Gullah/Geechee people of Hog Hammock on Sapelo Island, with whom the teachers visit. This colony is one of only a few Gullah/Geechee communities still in existence today, whose residents are descendants of West Africans brought to America as slaves. Their isolation in this rural area has enabled them to preserve their linguistic and cultural heritage, which incorporates both early African and American elements. The Gullah/Geechee people give Georgia something almost no other region has: a living look into its history. Our Georgia watersheds give us the sediment that creates our coastal plains. It gives us the nutrients for rich and beautiful environments like Gray’s Reef, with creatures ranging from seahorses to whales. As Sakas sums up, “Rivers to Reefs helps teachers learn just how much we touch our watersheds and that our watersheds influence our great global ocean, and in our case, Gray’s Reef.” For information, contact Michelle Riley: michelle.riley@noaa.gov
Canoeing down the Ocmolgee River. Photo provided by NOAA
D id Y ou Know? There are differences and similarities between white shrimp (Litopenaeus setiferus) and brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus aztecus). • Both are caught from North Carolina to Texas • Both have walking legs and swimming legs • White shrimp antenna are two and a half to three times their body length • Brown shrimp are grooved on the back surface of their shells • White shrimp are light gray with green coloration on their tails and a yellowish band around the abdomen • Brown shrimp are darker in color with a reddish-purple band and green or red pigmentation on the tail • White shrimp live in shallow water typically less than 90 feet, while brown shrimp typically live in water up to 180 feet deep • Brown shrimp travel at night and bury themselves in bottom substrate during the day • Newly hatched brown shrimp arrive in estuaries in February and March, while white shrimp arrive in April and May (depending on water temperatures) • Both species reproduce after reaching 5.5 inches in length and females release 500,000 to 1,000,000 egg near the ocean floor
White shrimp on left ,and brown shrimp on right, have slight but distinct differences. Photo by Jamee Barnard
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Diamondback
Terrapins
Researchers study this unusual species in an effort to help it rebound and thrive.
By Erin Weeks
O
SC DNR Marine Resources Division
n a sunny spring day, a small boat idles on the Ashley River near twelve fluorescent crab trap buoys. The three S.C. Department of Natural Resources staffers aboard aren’t interested in catching crabs today; instead, they’re studying another species frequently caught as by-catch in crab traps: the diamondback terrapin. A century ago, Americans were more likely to encounter these turtles at the dinner table than in the salt marsh. Once 12
a culinary staple in the United States, turtle soup appeared everywhere from presidential feasts to twentieth-century grocery shelves in soup cans. Its popularity, along with a twin demand from jewelry makers for shells, led to the near extinction of the diamondback terrapin, a marsh turtle once abundant along the eastern seaboard. America’s appetite for turtle soup has waned, and diamondback terrapins are now protected in many states, but their numbers remain a fraction of their historic population size. Researchers in South Carolina are thus looking for new ways to protect and rebuild this unusual species – including asking for help from coastal residents and visitors. In April 2016, at the beginning of the turtle’s yearly breeding season, the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SC DNR) launched a reporting form and began asking members of the public to help by reporting diamondback terrapin sightings across the coast. “Public input will help us get a better sense of overall SouthernTidesMagazine.com
June 2016
Opposite: Diamondback terrapins are found in a variety of colors and patterns. Inset: Plastic tags and accoustic devises help researchers track the turtles. Right: Researchers take measurements of a terrapin caught in a crap pot with no excluder device. Below: Getting stuck in crab traps is a leading cause of death. Photos provided by SC DNR
distribution of diamondback terrapins in South Carolina, so we can make sure we’re conducting research in the right areas,” said biologist Mike Arendt, who manages the in-water sea turtle and terrapin research section at SCDNR. That research includes projects like the crab trap experiment, in which SCDNR biologists are tweaking and testing designs for a “by-catch reduction device,” or BRD. Curious diamondback terrapins often enter crap traps in search of food, where the air-breathing reptiles can drown if they become trapped. A BRD is a small, plastic device that crabbers can attach to the mouth of each crap trap opening, which ideally allows crabs to enter while blocking terrapins. The design SCDNR staff are currently testing is the smallest BRD ever tested by researchers, which should therefore exclude the most terrapins. Preliminary results suggest that recent modifications to the interior shape and placement of the design may finally give crabbers confidence that using a BRD won’t negatively impact their desired catch,
Arendt said. Diamondback terrapins are the only turtles in the world to exclusively call the salt marsh their home. They play an important role in maintaining the health of salt marshes by eating marsh periwinkle snails, which in unchecked numbers can destroy salt marsh vegetation. Terrapins boast a remarkable variety of colors and patterns, with skin ranging from solid black to blue-tinged and Dalmatian-spotted. Their hieroglyphic-patterned shells come in shades of yellow, green, orange, black and brown, and they usually reach lengths of 5-8 inches.
Habitat loss, sea level rise, and deadly car and fishing gear interactions continue to threaten diamondback terrapins, which are listed as a “high priority species” under South Carolina’s State Wildlife Action Plan. The commercial harvest of diamondback terrapins was outlawed in the state in 2006. Other studies have also helped track changes in diamondback terrapin numbers at the local level. For more than 30 years, researchers from the University of Georgia and Davidson College have tagged terrapins on Kiawah Island, where their research suggests the turtles have declined over time. Despite these local and statewide studies, biologists are interested in gaining a more complete understanding of where South Carolina’s diamondback terrapins live, travel, and nest. That’s where DNR hopes citizen scientists can assist. DNR’s new terrapin reporting form invites observers to submit information about the size, number, condition, sex, and location of the diamondback terrapin(s) they encounter. Arendt and his team are particularly interested in Above: Turtle soup is no longer popular but turtle numbers continue to decline. This photo: A SC DNR volunteer returns two newly-tagged terrapins into the same section of river where they were collected. Photos provided by SCDNR
collecting more information about nesting locations, as well as the frequency of vehicle collisions and capture in fishing gears like crab traps, cast nets, and hook-and-line gear. Diamondback terrapins rarely survive car collisions, which happen when females cross roads in search of nesting areas, but the fate of diamondback terrapins captured in crab traps is largely a function of water temperature, with better chances of survival in colder water. In addition to the reporting form, SC DNR’s diamondback terrapin program also unveiled a new website. Check out www.dnr.sc.gov/wildlife/diamondbackterrapin to learn more about this species and how state wildlife biologists are working to protect them. Next year, the team will be working with recreational crabbers to rigorously test new crab trap designs to reduce the number of terrapins that enter crab traps.
If you spot a diamondback terrapin in South Carolina, report online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SCDNRTerrapin
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Women of the Water We pleased to continue our Women of the Water series this month with Sarah Fangman and Jamee Barnard.
Sarah retrieving marine debris on a dive at Gray’s Reef. Photo by A. Scott, GRNMS
Sarah Fangman
escape the harsh Minnesota winter that introduced her to life beneath the surface of the water. That week she spent her time wearing a snorkel mask and with her face in the water because as she put it, “I was absolutely mesmerized.” It would be many years before she realized that she could make marine biology a career. “Minnesota doesn’t exactly have a whole lot of marine biologists and marine scientists around who could introduce me to the idea that I could work in the ocean or work trying to protect and understand these amazing things I got to see,” she said. It wasn’t until she was in college and a desire to escape winter at Middlebury College in Vermont that she discovered the exciting field of marine biology. Sarah’s escape came in the form of a study abroad marine science program in the
By Amelia Dence
S
arah Fangman, the superintendent of Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary, is from Minnesota, a place she readily admits is not normally thought of as the mecca for things marine. It was a childhood trip to Grand Cayman to June 2016
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Sarah with drop marker for hydrophone deployment. Photo by A. Scott, GRNMS
Sarah working with a team over Gray’s Reef. Photo provided by GRNMS
Virgin Islands. There she spent a semester studying coral reef ecosystems and for her, the discovery of career possibilities in marine science sealed the deal. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and Biology at Middlebury College, Sarah went on the complete her Masters of Science in Marine Affairs at University of Washington in Seattle. While attending University of Washington Sarah interned with NOAA and earned a place in NOAA’s Presidential Management Fellowship Program. Instead of having a specialty Sarah considers herself a generalist. “I’ve had the opportunity to work in a lot of different places Divers installing a seafloor observatory. Photo by Greg McFall, GRNMS
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and think about a lot of different problems and challenges with our oceans. I like to be involved in a real broad variety of issues and organisms and ecosystems.” However, what’s piqued her interest the most is a study being conducted at Gray’s Reef on the movement of certain fish species. In addition to her impressive career, Sarah is also an accomplished diver, a skill that serves her immensely in her daily job duties. As a certified dive master, she’s able to see what she studies firsthand. This ability to be out in the sanctuary is an integral part of her job because it gives her the opportunity to observe the health of the reef and find any problems. On a personal level, she finds scuba diving. “Literally every time I sink the beneath the waves to explore the sanctuary, it’s with a sense of wonder because every time it’s different. It changes seasonally, it changes by sight,” she said, explaining that she can go to different spots in the sanctuary and have completely different experiences during one dive. “Every time I get in the water it’s exciting … it’s not another day at the office,” she said. In fact, Sarah has a signature dive look, a yellow dive mask that has been with her since she became certified. It serves as a sort of token that represents the amazing career she’s had so far. The passion I heard in Sarah’s voice during our interview was telling of a woman who has dedicated her life and career to trying to understand and protect the wonders of the ocean. A woman who has chosen to call our little part of the world her home. Someone who works diligently to educate herself and others not only about the wonders that lie directly off our coast, but of the wonders that lie beneath the surface of the oceans worldwide. I’d say Gray’s Reef and Savannah are lucky to have her. SouthernTidesMagazine.com
June 2016
Right: Jamee aboard her shrimp boat, Miss Harley Inset Below: Jamee at her shop, with a fresh gag grouper. Photos provided by Bowie Seafood
Jamee Barnard By Amy Thurman
That morning she drove us out to Valona to a seafood packing house called Ocean Bounty, owned by friends of hers. It was peeler crab season, when female blue crabs shed their shells – the only time blue crabs can mate. Mating aside, it was a great experience learning how to recognize when the crabs were ready to shed and following the process as they were transferred from table to table through the various stages of losing their shells, before finally being placed in boxes for shipment to Maryland and other points north as soft shell crab. It was a great day with a great friend, making new friends and learning about yet another aspect of our amazing coastal waters and the life that inhabits them. I couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Born and raised on Tybee Island, the water has always played a huge role in Jamee’s life. She spent her childhood on her family’s boats and her dad, Jim, ran fishing charters. In her early 20s, Jamee went to work on shrimp boats and although it was hard work, loved being out there. Her dad eventually bought her a shrimp boat she could work herself which she named Miss Harley, after her firstborn daughter. She made her living as a shrimper in her own right for several years, often taking young Harley out on the boat with her.
W
hen first entering Bowie Seafood on Tybee Island, one of the first things you notice (aside from the amazing assortment of fresh fish, of course) is a sign hanging on the wall that reads, “NO WHINING!” and that pretty much sums up Jamee Barnard’s outlook on life. I met Jamee in her shop about eight years ago and we quickly became friends. In eight years we’ve watched each other’s kids grow towards adulthood, listened to each other’s frustrations as business owners in a fickle economy, shared recipes, beverages, meals, and of course, our love of the water. And like the rest of us “women of the water,” that water defines who she is and how she lives her life. One of my fondest memories of our times together was in the spring of 2009. She called me one afternoon and said, “What are you doing next Tuesday?” I had no specific plans and asked what she had in mind. She replied, with a laugh, “Come by the house. We’re going to go see crabs have sex.” Okay then! I’m in! June 2016
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After a few years, Jamee opened a shop in Midway called the Shrimp Shack, to sell her catch. After selling her shrimp boat in 2007, she then opened Bowie Seafood on Tybee and expanded her offering to include fish. “I like selling fish. They’re so pretty!” she said, with a grin. An opinion that only a true waterlover can appreciate! In 2010, she and her husband, Don Crum, also started a smaller peeler crab business, similar to the set-up we visited in Valona a year earlier but on a smaller scale. They enjoyed it so much that Jamee later purchased a crabbing license and the couple plans to expand the operation in the coming years. “If we can grow it, I’d like that to be my retirement,” she said. “Some might think that’s crazy, but we’re looking at a couple options. We’ll see what happens. I’d like to put Bowie Seafood on the market. If anyone’s interested, come by and see me!” In addition to earning a living on the water, there’s no other place she’d rather spend her free time. When they can get away from the shop, Jamee and Don, head for the water. Along with Harley and the youngest daughter
Angel, who also share the family love of fishing and the water, they can usually be found on a boat of some sort. Whether beached on a sandbar just relaxing, or riding jet skis, or off somewhere with lines in the water, either inshore or offshore. She mentioned also getting to go fishing with Miss Judy recently. “That was so much fun! I love her!” Her favorite pastime is flounder gigging. “I love, love, love it! It’s so different from regular fishing … it’s more like hunting and fishing at the same time. You have to find the fish, not just toss a line in the water and hope. It’s exhilarating!” she says, relating it to the times she’s spent in the woods deer hunting each fall. To continue in that vein, Jamee plans to learn to dive so she can give spear fishing a try as well. “It just looks like it would be so much fun!” This strong woman, who’s followed her own unique path in life, truly epitomizes what it means to be a woman of the water. When asked if there’s anywhere else she’d ever want to live, Jamee summed it up perfectly. “Not inland. I don’t think I could ever move away from the water. The river … it’s God’s Prozac. Saltwater therapy. No matter what’s going on in your life, you get out there on the river and it just all slides into perspective.”
A Family Affair From the top down: Don and Jamee with a freshly caught mahi mahi. Harley spent many hours playing while mama worked. Youngest daughter Angel with her redfish. Jamee kissing her catch, a pompano! Photos provided by Bowie Seafood
M arine Patrol
Ride Along
“A
By Amy Thurman
ISLE OF
HOPE
MARINA We Provide Loaner Cars!
bad day on the water is better than a good day in the office.” We’ve all heard that old adage, but when your office is a boat, that changes things up a
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bit. For Marine Patrol officers, bad and good days can range from sheer boredom to appreciation for the beauty of the area, from frustration to the rewarding feeling of saving a life. On a beautiful, sunny day in late May, I had the opportunity to ride along with Marine Patrol Officers Gene Maxey and Joe Carlino and see how a typical day goes in their “office” as they patrolled the waterways of Chatham County. The Marine Patrol unit was formed in the 70s to patrol Chatham County waterways. It was first attached to the (former) Chatham County Police Department, until 2004 when it became part of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department, but effective July 1 of this year, the unit of 15 boats and six officers will report directly to the Chatham County Manager. Tasked to enforce Title 52 OCGA, the Georgia Boat Safety Act, the officers’ dayto-day focus tends to lean toward keeping an eye on boat registrations, safety equipment compliance, and enforcing no wake and idle speed zones. During our ride that day we witnessed two boats going through bridge overpasses at speed and stopped both vessels. Even when I was still tooling around on my first boat I Above: Officer Joe Carlino patrolling the Savannah River. Right: Officer Gene Maxey issues a warning. Photos by Amy Thurman
June 2016
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knew better than to blow through bridges and it aggravates me when people place their own impatience over the safety of others. “You may not see the guy in that little john boat on the other side of the bridge pilings and when you speed through the bridge, even a small wake can capsize a small boat,” Maxey said. “It happens. The laws aren’t in place to hold you back, they’re there to protect people.” Maxey, Carlino, and their fellow officers, all enjoy their time on the water and want everyone out there to do the same. Safely. “Almost every drowning victim we’ve come across would have survived if they’d had a PFD [Personal Flotation Device] on,” Carlino said. “Not all, but the majority.” While adults aren’t required to wear PFDs, each boat must have enough Coast Guard approved PFDs aboard for each person on the boat and children 12-and-under are required to wear them at all times on recreational boats. Rescues are another key aspect of the job and one the Marine Patrol officers find very rewarding. Last fall, three men were heading back in from a fishing trip when the weather took a turn for the worse and they experienced engine trouble. Attempting to enter the Savannah River, they began taking water over the stern and were pushed against the north jetty by heavy seas. Fearing the boat would sink, they climbed onto the stationary jetty rocks and called 911. When Officers Maxey and Trey Blackburn in one boat, and Sergeant Danny Davis in a second boat, arrived at the jetty, the men were supporting each other on the slippery rocks and their boat was adrift. The decision was made that Maxey and Blackburn would nose up to the jetty in their aluminum boat (that could better withstand potential damage) and get the men aboard while Sergeant Davis, in a fiberglass boat, would be prepared to perform a water rescue in case one of the men slipped. “The trick was to get the bow of the boat as close to the men as possible so they didn’t have to crawl over those slippery rocks, and keep it straight up to the jetty while we got them aboard. Trey did it, even in those seas. He’s a pro,” Maxey recalled, with a grin. The men were uninjured and their boat was recovered several days later, still afloat, near Brunswick, Georgia. “Although there were no injuries, in this instance it would have been safer for everyone if they’d stayed aboard. Those boats don’t sink easily – it’s so important 20
SouthernTidesMagazine.com
June 2016
L to R: Sergeant Daniel Davis, Joe Carlino, Gene Maxey, Trey Blackburn, and David Jannot. Photo by Corporal Daniel Walker
to know your vessel,” Maxey added. Another rescue scenario played itself out a few months later in Hell’s Gate. Kayakers had departed earlier in the day from the Rodney J. Hall boat ramp, locally known as Butterbean Beach. On their return paddle a storm blew in; rough seas and nightfall forced them to beach their kayaks in the marsh across from Raccoon Key and they called 911. Maxey and Sergeant Davis were dispatched to locate and rescue the couple, who stayed on the line with the operator. The officers attempted to approach the area from a small sheltered creek to the east, but it would have required the couple to slog through a wide expanse of marsh mud, so they had to approach from the much rougher open water on the west side of the marsh. They were finally able to locate the couple with the boat’s spotlight. With waves crashing over the stern and pushing them onto the beach, Davis lowered the front gate of the boat while Maxey kept the bow as stable as possible. “The engines were coming out of the water and Sergeant Davis was holding onto a bowline to stay on his feet, but the couple was able to grab the gate and pull themselves aboard under their own steam,” Maxey said. Episodes like these, although they don’t always get news coverage, happen more often than one might think. “It’s more about education than ticketing,” Maxey stated when describing their purpose out there each day. To that end, the Marine Patrol also holds monthly boating safety courses April through October. The courses are free to all boaters and as of January 2015, all Georgia boaters born after January 1, 1998 must take the course prior to operating a boat. Although none of us want to see blue lights flashing in our direction unless we’re in distress, it’s good to know they’re out there and will do whatever it takes. Thank you for your service, gentlemen, and stay safe.
Boating Safety Class Third Saturday of each month, April – October 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
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Chatham County Marine Patorl (912) 353-1004 Georgia Department of Natural Resources (912) 264-7237 June 2016
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T he B itter E nd
Coral Reefs, Boats, Art, and ... Dung Beetles
By Captain J. Gary Hill
I
’m sure many of you, including my editor, are scratching your heads over this one. The first three words in the header go together pretty well, but the last, well, we’ll get to that shortly. There is a correlation to all of these and a few more I will toss in along the way. The common thread, though a bit obscure, is repurposing. Our coral reefs are shrinking at an alarming rate, and as such, we’re trying to find ways to replace those natural formations. One such way is through repurposing. Off the coast of Georgia and South Carolina we’ve been creating reefs with all manner of items: ships that have lived out their sea-worthiness, old military battle tanks, pieces of bridge structures, even New York subway cars. You name it, we’ve found a way to clean it up and make it an eco-safe base upon which coral formations can thrive. Many species, including octopi and hermit crabs, make their homes of cast off shells, jars, or anything else they can get their bodies into. A prime example of nature using discarded items no longer useful to their original purpose, in another way. Most of us have heard the acronym for Boat: Break Out Another Thousand, and anyone who’s owned one for any length of time can attest to that. When someone tells me they want to buy a used boat and go cruising I tell them to try this simple experiment first, and if they like it to proceed. Go to a salvage yard and buy an old car; make sure it has a sunroof. Then drive cross-country while standing up through the sunroof and throw out hundred dollars bills along the way. To make it more like cruising, do it in the worst possible weather. I’m kidding, of course, but any boat owner will tell you, parts and maintenance are a must and nothing is cheap on a boat. So repurposing old parts becomes a very viable and useful practice. Places like Marine Connection Liquidators, in Ft. Pierce, Florida, and Sailors Exchange, in St Augustine, have been around for years. They offer used items, as well as new products such as over-stock and discontinued parts from major boat manufacturers, sold at reduced prices. From fuel tanks to tuna towers they most likely have what you’re looking for. 22
Boat yards make another great place to source parts, such as the St Mary’s Boat Yard. As owners do refits or as boats are salvaged by companies like TowBoat and SeaTow, entire boats or usable pieces are often sold, which translates to a great savings to you. Another source is Boats and Harbors, or what we refer to as the yellow sheets, due to the yellow paper it’s printed on. Another way to repurpose nautical items is to use them for art. I’ve seen dive helmets with painted face plates decorating their brass and bronze constructions. Old nets hanging from ceilings in restaurants, and port windows turned into shadow boxes. Hauser lines can be used to line walkways and parking lots. Ship’s wheels or even old captain’s desks can be used as office and home décor. There’s no end to the creative ways boat parts and pieces can be used. Going back to nature to wrap things up, consider Australia’s Bowerbirds, that used various colored items they “repurpose” into their nests to attract a mate. And what you’ve been waiting for, the Dung Beetle that repurposes … dung. But oddly enough they save the cattle industry about $300 million annually in cleanup and disposal costs and in the process reduce methane emissions which in turn helps curb greenhouse gasses. So I guess the old saying is true, one man’s (or beetle’s) junk is another man’s treasure. See y’all on the water!
Email Gary at jgaryhill@gmail.com
Inset photo: A hermit crab “recycles” an empty channel whelk shell. Photo provided by Captain Gary Hill
SouthernTidesMagazine.com
June 2016
Help Fight Melanoma!
Not just for grown ups! Kids are invited to participate in their own tournament and win great prizes! Golf Tournament Friday, July 29 Wilmington Island Club -
SAVE THE DATE: July 29 - 31
Shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. Four-man scramble - $100 per person Sponsor a hole - $100 Hole in one enters players in a chance to win a two-year lease on a car!
For golf tournament information, call: Marc Schneider (912) 441-4536 Have fun while supporting a great cause! Friday, July 29 - Golf Tournament at the Wilmington Island Club - Golf tournament awards, food, prizes, and live music by Jason Courtney at Hogans Marina - Tournament registration and captain’s meeting, poker run registration at Hogans Marina - Cornhole tournaments at Hogans Marina
To donate raffle prizes, call: Joy Wainright (912) 398-3395 For general information, call: Chris Caldwell (912) 667-4861 Visit us on Facebook for updates! Facebook.com/Fishin-For-Jamie
Saturday, July 30 - Adults and kids fishing tournaments - Poker run for boats and jet skis - Cornhole tournament at Hogans - Kingfish tournament Sunday, July 31 - Adult and kids fishing tournaments continued - Awards All weekend - great food, live music, raffles, and a waterslide for the kids!
All proceeds benefit the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer and Research Pavillion.
June 2016
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