Okay, I guess I did say I would drop some science in three parts, so here it is, the life cycle of a shrimp:
Right now, roe shrimp are being caught (the females with eggs), so I guess we should start there. Shrimp lay their eggs (500,000 – 1,000,00 per female) in the ocean up to a few miles offshore, but mostly near the beach. Within a day the egg (1/64 of an inch) will hatch and the new larval shrimp will feed on the yolk reserves. The shrimp is about the size of a plankton at this point and will stay in this form through four more stages. read more…
Did you know that shrimp are used for battle field dressings in Iraq? Of course that’s not entirely true, but the chitosan contained in shrimp shells is. Chitosan is a structural element in the exoskeletons of some crustaceans, shrimp included. The amino group contained in the chitosan is positively charged, which (to make a very long story very short) makes it a “bio-adhesive” and allows it to “stick” to negatively charged surfaces such as mucosal membranes, or the lining of our body’s cavities. Hence, it can be used in bandages and rapidly clots blood. read more…
Fresh SC Shrimp
In preparation for the opening of shrimp season I am going to drop some science on y’all in a three part series, starting with the most common shrimp question, “what kind of shrimp are there in South Carolina”.
Of the 2000 species of shrimp that exist in the world, the South Carolina lowcountry can lay claim to three of them, white shrimp, brown shrimp, and pink shrimp. read more…
This past Saturday was the 2009 Lowcountry Shrimp Festival and Blessing of the Fleet in McClellanville. Other than a few rain showers, it was a complete success. There were nine boats involved with the blessing, and they all were looking good and ready to go. We rode on the Henrietta and had a good (lively) crowd. The festival itself was in high gear by the time we got there with live music and tons of good food.
After that, the kentucky derby was a tear jerker with Mind That Bird bringing home the bacon (sorry Mr. Dubai), and the after parties were fun, or so I’m told. I hope I will be excused for the lack of photos, but if you live in a glass house, you know. Summer is officially here for the Lowcountry!
F/V Miss Henrietta ready for the season
Richie, Jeff, and I spent last week getting the Miss Henrietta ready to go for the season. Richie had some woodwork to do, and then we did a bit of fiberglassing and a lot of painting and cleaning. We moved the boat back over to the fish house docks on Friday to beat the low tide Saturday morning. Shrimp Festival!
It turns out that DNR is opening the provisional line for shrimping on Thursday, May 7, so its time for some fresh shrimp!
Here it is, just in time to get you pumped up for shrimp festival, SH to the R to the IMP. Word has it that the artist formerly known as NUB and of RAKE fame will be making an appearance. Stay tuned.
WARNING: NSFW or young ears.
http://www.vimeo.com/850345
F/V Carolina
Yesterday was the blessing of the Shem Creek shrimp fleet in Mt. Pleasant. I was on a kayak tour, and watched the boats from there. It seems as though a good time was being had by all, and the boats look ready to go. There weren’t as many boats as in years past, but it looked like a few boats are ready to go shrimping, but stayed at the dock for the blessing. The crowd at Alhambra Hall was rocking it out to the East Coast Party Band, and the crowd on the water was slowly getting cooked in the beautiful 80 degree weather. read more…
Congratulations are in order to Stephen and Natalie for the birth of their daughter, Abigail. Abigail was born last Wednesday at 1:21 and is 7 pounds, 9 ounces, and 20 inches long. She is healthy and happy, and, thanks to Natalie, has a full head of red hair. One day soon, I will be expecting her to join Maya in the youth oystering movement. Stephen has been out clamming recently around Isle of Palms with his brother, Shawn (also expecting). I’d like to wish them both good luck with all of those girls.
Well, I haven’t heard many complaints about the weather lately. I was out with a kayak trip last Tuesday, and I think I managed to catch the worst of the last (hopefully) cold snap. We were chipping 6 inches of ice out of the bottom of the kayaks and had to pour sea water on the straps to thaw them out and get them off of the trailer. It was probably the coldest day I spent on the water this year. By the time Friday rolled around and we went oystering, the highs were up close to 70. Since then, we’ve seen the air temps hit 80 several times. read more…
Well, I am back in Awendaw this week after a great month in Hawaii. I did end up trying the oysters out there, and while they are quite large, the taste just wasn’t there. I stuck with the poke and sushi. Abalone isn’t my thing either.
While I was away, Jeff had a busy month. He had orders for between 40-50 bushels of oysters every week. He also completed a refit of the oyster skiff that has it set up a bit better for oystering as well as other sorts of water-work. More on that later. read more…
