Sunrise at ‘Boneyard Beach’ on Bulls Island silhouettes a dead Live Oak.
Erosion taking a toll on the maritime forest on Bull’s Island. The 5000 acre island is part of Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.
A derelict dredge pipe washed ashore on Bull’s Island.
Carolina Yacht Club in Charleston at dawn.
The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge over the Cooper River connects downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Construction on the bridge began in 2001 and was completed in 2005 and cost the South Carolina Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration an estimated $632 million. The bridge replaced an obsolete bridge that did not have enough clearance to accommodate modern shipping vessels passing underneath. Charleston is the country’s fourth largest container port, accepting vessels and cargo from around the world.
Brown Pelicans in the Cooper River near Dafuski Island.
The Hunting Island Lighthouse at Hunting Island State Park is the only lighthouse in South Carolina that is open to the public.
The beach on southern end of Hunting Island State Park is littered with downed trees and dead standing trees. The island has been suffered from heavy erosion from storms.
Launching workboats in Bluffton on the May River.
Workboats on the May River preparing for a day of fishing crab pots.
Joshua Crabtree running the workboat as his crew works crab pots.
Female Blue Crabs, commonly known as Sooks, make up the majority of the catch for crabbers working in South Carolina waters.
Portunus gibbesii - the Iridescent Swimming Crab is native to the Western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico from Cape Cod to Brazil. This crab was caught near the mouth of the May River in South Carolina. There is no commercial market in the United States for the Iridescent Swimming Crab.
A sampling of the different crabs in Calibogue Sound. (Left to Right) Stone Crab, Spider Crab, Blue Crab
Stone Crabs in South Carolina are a small by-catch fishery for fishermen targeting Blue Crabs. When a stone crab is caught, the larger of the two claws is removed and the crab is released. The crabs will regenerate their missing claw over time.
Bluffton Oyster Company on the May River at dawn.
Wild oysters growing in the May River, photographed at low tide.
Picking oysters at low tide.
Bluffton oystermen, ‘Johnny Red’ and ‘Drac’ heading back to Bluffton Oyster Company to sell their catch in the rain.
Unloading oysters at high tide at Bluffton Oyster Company.
Portrait of Bluffton oysterman.
Washing and packing oysters into one bushel bags.
Shucking oysters at Bluffton Oyster Company, South Carolina’s last commercial oyster shucking house. At the shucking house, the meats are extracted from the oysters and packed into quart size containers for resale.
Oyster Shucker, Ernestine Butler.
Oyster meats packed for resale.
Oyster shucker taking break for a cigarette on Bluffton Oyster Company’s shell pile.