As many of you are aware inshore water temperatures in the state of SC are getting critically low. Speckled trout mortalities have been reported this week in Swansboro, NC and we want to utilize every resources we have to monitor the situation in our state.
Below is a graph of temperatures measured by the USGS at the Customs House in Charleston as you can see, over the last week the temperature has continued to trend downward currently approaching 8.5 C (46.4 F). Of course this is only a single point measurement and conditions along our coast could vary widely that is why I am contacting ya’ll.
The last significant speckled trout kill observed in our state was in winter 2000-2001 when water temperatures in Charleston got down to 6 C (42.8 F). Thereafter, trout catch per unit effort in our inshore survey dropped precipitously and it took two years to begin rebound. While our biological staff and law enforcement personnel continue to be vigilant and closely monitor the situation, any extra eyes and ears reporting pertinent observations would be helpful.
In the event of a kill we need to document the magnitude and extend of the kill. If you observe dead fish either on the bottom or floating please provide the following to me including: number of fish observed, species, location, date and time. My contact information is below. Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Wallace Jenkins Program Coordinator SCDNR
SC Governor's Cup Billfishing Series
phone 843-953-9835
Inshore water temperatures in the state of SC (Let us pray)
Linear Mode
