Welcome to the SC Blue Crabs Forecast Web Blog

One of the most important functions of scientific research and discovery is the communication of information to those who could benefit most from the knowledge gained.  The goal of this SC Blue Crab Forecast Web Blog is educate and inform its readers as to the status of the South Carolina blue crabs.  Blue crabs are an important commercial fishery in our state, but are also an important indicator of marsh health in our coastal estuaries.  They play a critical role in the cycling of energy and nutrients in the marsh by preying on invertebrates and scavenging fish and transmitting their own energy up the food chain to larger fish, wading birds, alligators and humans. The goals of this web blog are provide up to date information regarding (1) the current and predicted commercial landings of blue crabs in South Carolina, (2) blue crab health, marsh health and their relationship to climate change, and (3) knowledge and understanding of the many roles that blue crabs play in the marsh and in our fishing communities.  The organization of this blog is to have the most recent posts at the top with older posts as you scroll down the page.  Thus, if you wish to start at the beginning with the first post, you should use the navigation bar on the right to navigate to the bottom of the blog and scroll up as you read each entry.  I hope you find these blog posts interesting and informative and I encourage you to post your comments and your questions after each entry so I can provide you with additional information. - Michael Childress