Stories from the Bay |
By: Quinn Whitesall, Habitat Restoration Technician, American Littoral Society Wednesday, September 7th was off to a bit of a rough start. The docks at Smokey's Marina were rocking and rolling as the waves crashed on the boat ramp, leftover effects of Hermine. The DelBay Restoration team came to a quick decision that it would be best to use a different boat ramp for the day. Although it put quite a delay in our start time, launching from Matt's Landing was quite a bit easier than tackling the ramp at Smokey's. Although the water was calm down the winding Maurice River, the team was met with white caps and rolling waves as the River met the Bay. After a slow, rocking ride to the reef, traps were dropped about an hour before high tide. While the traps soaked, the team took cover in a nearby creek where the water was calm. Due to fear of low water at the boat ramp, the team had to pull the traps early and alas, only a few Atlantic blue claw crabs were recovered.
The team was greeted with calm water and the infamous double-crested cormorants at Smokey's Marina the following day. It was smooth sailing for the DelBay team as they made their way out to the reef and the remaining four traps were pulled with ease. Several feisty Atlantic blue claw crabs were retrieved from the traps, including a few juveniles and one soft shell. A lonely silver perch was identified on the outer reef block that day. As the season starts to change, we hope for a more diverse set of fish.
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