Town, shrimpers at odds over creekBy Prentiss Findlay (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Friday, April 4, 2008
Wade Spees The Town of Mount Pleasant acquired the Bailey Docks near the mouth of Shem Creek in December 2007. Two boats remain tied at the docks Thursday past the April 1 deadline to vacate. If you goA public hearing on the docks will be at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Town Council chambers, 100 Ann Edwards Lane, Mount Pleasant.
Shem Creek
MOUNT PLEASANT — A rusty bicycle frame, empty beer cans, nets and a diesel generator are scattered on a Shem Creek hummock dotted with palmetto and oak trees. A warning is scrawled on a white wooden table surrounded by four chairs near torches: "If you get caught on the island or docks you're going to get arrested." The island, not much bigger than a large living room, connects to a dock where a half-sunken sailboat with a broken boom and tattered sail is moored. An aged shrimp trawler, "Freeloader III," is tied up nearby. No one can be seen aboard. The town, which bought the property in January, wants to clean it up and will hold a public hearing Tuesday. The Fire Department recently inspected the dock and marsh boardwalk leading to it. Loose and ill-fitting deck boards and rotten wood are among the problems listed. Much of the boardwalk to the creek lists to one side or the other. Algae on the deck surface makes it slippery. "The dock is unsafe for lots and lots of reasons," Town Administrator Mac Burdette said. He expects some shrimpers to protest the decision. "This is not in any way an attempt to make the shrimpers' lives more difficult." Shrimper Kenneth Ezell said he relocated his 41-foot boat from Shem Creek to the Folly River because he wasn't sure from day to day if he would be able to tie up at the dock. "I'd very much like to go back. I think Shem Creek is very vital to the fishing fleet," Ezell said. Fishing out of Folly Beach is dangerous because of the treacherous conditions in Stono Inlet, he said. "I've come close to losing my boat twice running in and out of there," he said. Ezell said he has read the Fire Department's report on the boardwalk and docks. "There's nothing in there we can't fix ourselves. The issue can be addressed without running off the shrimp fleet," he said. Ezell said he feels that the town wants to make Shem Creek into a yacht basin for the well-heeled. If working boats dock there, the public can buy fresh shrimp at the dock at a reasonable price, he said. He expects about 30 shrimpers to show up at Tuesday's public hearing. Burdette estimated it would take $1 million to make the docks safe for the public. He said the town cannot afford the liability of someone getting hurt there. "It's not close to meeting the standard for public access," he said. The Fire Department found other safety concerns at the marsh boardwalk and the docks. They include: illegal wiring and appliances in numerous areas; excessive deck board spacing in multiple areas, creating a possible tripping hazard; rotten, missing and broken structural braces at support posts; unstable boardwalk, slanted or listing to one side. For years, as ownership of the property changed hands, an informal, if testy, agreement with developers allowed shrimpers to tie up at the docks to unload their catch. Developer Richard Coen has said he spent $40,000 improving the docks but lost the contract to buy them to Mark Mason and Shem Creek Holding Co. Sometimes shrimpers who used the docks paid him rent, sometimes not, Coen said. After condemning Mason's 43 acres on Shem Creek, including the docks, the town came to terms with him to buy the property for $6 million. It includes the site of a former OK Tire store, which has been demolished for a pocket park on the marsh. Plans for the rest of the acreage, mostly marsh, and the creekfront have not yet been finalized. The marshland, hummock and docks are located just past Vickery's toward the harbor. Reach Prentiss Findlay at pfindlay@postandcourier.com or 937-5711. |
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Comments
This article has 27 comment(s)
Posted by CedarPosts on April 4, 2008 at 2:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Years ago the "fleet" at Shem Creek might have been nearly two dozen. I remember the sights and sounds of shrimp boats working the night and a forest of booms reaching skyward, boats docked sometimes 3 abreast at Shem Creek.
It's a sad day that tells of an industry that has fallen on hard times and soaring fuel prices. But its more than a few boats being forced off the docks its a way of life that is being wiped out.
More at http://Cedarposts.blogspot.com
Posted by theronce on April 4, 2008 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
People have been using the docks for awhile now without government. Now the all-knowing, all-protective daddy government will make it more better for its children. There, there, Mt. Pleasant, your government will protect you and give you everything that you need.
Posted by dustym59 on April 4, 2008 at 7:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
It would be a shame to lose the shrimp boats at Shem Creek...who ya gotta PAY-OFF to ge ya life back now?
Posted by JohnS on April 4, 2008 at 8:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is what happens when the Gov buys something. They have to fence it off because someone not paying attention may get hurt and sue the town.
Posted by AMAZING on April 4, 2008 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm happy to see the drug smugglers go.
Posted by Early on April 4, 2008 at 8:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I see two sides, the shrimp boats that did tie there generally didn't pay rent, you had to know somebody to tie up for free. Most docking runs about what $3 a foot? This is not to say Mt Pleasant should not help the shrimpers, If it wasn't for the shrimpers, Mt Pleasant may be 10 years behind the development they are at now. The touristy attractions at Shem Creek killed the shrimpers, where the all mighty dollar prevailed over a way of life. I truly think that Mt. Pleasant should rebuild the dock and charge the boats a reasonable fee for docking. It will bring in tourist and help pay the the expenses.
Posted by wpc3iop on April 4, 2008 at 9:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Mount Pleasant city council will probably make a dog park out of the property...
Posted by LowcountryMoose on April 4, 2008 at 9:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I guess the powers that be want everyone to go to Super Wal-Mart and buy some cheap skanky Asian farm-raised shrimp.
Buy locally, act locally.
Posted by toastchee on April 4, 2008 at 9:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I took my kids down there one bright saturday morning for shrimp at Magwoods (same area?) and the docks were definitely sketchy. We took care not to fall off or trip, and we saw a boat with the exact name of my daughter - Anna Grace! And we went home with pounds of fresh shrimp.
Creaky docks and salty (yet smiling) shrimpers are part of the magic of the lowcountry, where you just might see your daughter's namesake boat. Don't sanitize the magic of the lowcountry.
Posted by Corder2007 on April 4, 2008 at 10:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have been in Mt Pleasant all my life and without the shrimp boat fleet the town may as well claim its fame from something else b/c the fleet is the reason we are known at all!!! with all of the dock builders, contractors and workers in these companies, donation of time and materials should be simple and never questioned as should be the donation of labor to save this little piece of history!!!! Think about that Mt Pleasant, what does our REAL heritage mean to us all????????????
Posted by CedarPosts on April 4, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm surprised at how many people have not a clue about shrimp. Oh the tails (pun intended) I could tell you.
One thing is certain nothing beats fresh off the boat head on South Carolina shrimp.
The other thing is most people and I'm talking mainly about my Yankee transplant friends don't know what fresh shrimp are like. They think the trash they sell at Harris Teeter "seafood market" is good stuff ..... ask anyone from the Lowcountry and they'll tell you that stuff isn't good enough to be called bait! So the call it "Fresh Frozen"
As far as Shem Creek.... Well, the boats will all be gone there's no way around that. In their place we'll soon see a former shrimper as a party boat, a jet ski rental business and a high speed tourist "thriller" boat and dinner cruise yacht. All four are in different stages of ramping up.
Expect a "Charleston" style Water Front Park with one hour free dockage and condos with 200k docks for sale.
Such is progress.
As far as the shrimp business in the South Carolina, I'd guess maybe 50 boats or less in a niche market, think Angus Beef of Shrimp.
Posted by tigerridge on April 4, 2008 at 10:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
And, the poor shrimper gets the shaft again...when are we ever going to learn??
Why don't Mt. Pleasant officials see the hidden value in all of this? Give the shrimpers a nice modern place to tie up and create a "fisherman's market" of some kind there....Help them attract buyers by promoting their products as fresh and local, and encourage the local eateries in the area to purchase from them as well...
Town officials could also still include their park and whatever else they are planning, while also helping out the local economy...
If we don't start helping these shrimpers out a little bit, they will be gone forever...
Posted by Paul on April 4, 2008 at 11:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agee with tigerridge ... Create a "Fisherman's Wharf".
Posted by DP83Lowcountry on April 4, 2008 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have spent my whole life here in Charleston and a it is sad to see the shrimp boat disappearing. A Fisherman's Wharf is exactly what we need a fresh live local marketplace! Good One tigerridge.
Posted by CedarPosts on April 4, 2008 at 11:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'll second Paul's motion.
Tigerridge is dead on!
Posted by wjhamilton3 on April 4, 2008 at 12:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
These docks have been proposed as one of the possible locations of a town youth saling center. Alhambra Hall was rejected due to neighborhood opposiiton last week.
Shem creek offers less expensive facility construction and sheltered boat storage. The locations closest to the harbor would work fine for a sailboat facility, while the Shrimpboats would still have plenty of space further up the creek where a shorter dock makes loading and unloading easier.
Sailboats at this location would have to be towed out of the creek in some wind/tide conditions by the motorized safety boats required for a sailing program, however it would be a fairly short tow from the harbor end of the creek.
The docks in question are in weak condition, but that's pretty normal for docks. I was on the island mentioned a few years ago and walked the dock back. It clearly needed new decking in a lot of places. I couldn't tell what condition the piles were in, which is the expensive part of a dock.
Shem Creek has had a more varied collection of marine uses over time. It once had pens for turtles which were sold up North to make soup. Huge turtles were kept in ponds there. It also had a salt work at one time where salt was extracted from the water. There was a dock for barging tomatos across the harbor to the railroad terminal in Charleston above the bridge. The Darby Boatyard repaired shrimp boats and yachts there until sometime in the 1980s. There are still at least two places where you can buy fresh seafood on Shem Creek today. The Wando Shrimp company promises fresh local shrimp. It's somewhat harder to find, being on the East side toward the harbor but generally has the lowest prices. Mt. Pleasant seafood is on the other side, near the bridge. Both have fish, crabs and scallops in season.
Foreign frozen is cheaper.
When I was a child, shrimp were a cheap, local foodstuff.
Posted by JohnQ on April 4, 2008 at 1:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I got news for ya.
If the commercial boats are gone Shem Creek will no longer be dredged by the Corp of Engineers and the creek will quickly silt in and be unnavigable by all but the smallest boats.
Posted by tigerridge on April 4, 2008 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
John Q, that gives that much more of a reason to keep the shrimp trawlers....Spot on...
Posted by joesmuck on April 4, 2008 at 5:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Shrimpers "Yes" Little Joe and Ole Harry, well NO. keep the trawlers and loose the politicans. HEEEEEEE HAAAAAAWWW!!
Posted by rofl on April 4, 2008 at 6:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Ok, sorry so many are not informed about this side of the creek. The real shrimpers are on the other side. They probably have to pay rent, electric, etc. They (on the other side) are NOT being forced to leave. The boats on this side are not even working shrimp boats. I have been out there. Nobody was paying rent except for maybe two people and I'm not even sure if they were shrimpers. The rest of them did not pay rent, used the island as a toilet, spread garbage everywhere, stole electricity and were involved in many, many activities that brought the police out on a regular basis. Just read the police reports. The boats they owned were not in working order and for the most part were not even shrimp boats. No boat registration, no paying taxes, etc, etc. This would be a great place for the sailing thing. And it would be really great to see some REAL working shrimp boats out there also. The docks are in terrible shape and are just not safe for anyone. Most of the people that were out there had no respect for where they were at. Where do you think they dumped their toilets on these boats that don't even run? Talk about shixxing where you sleep. Glad to see them go. Bring on the real Shrimpers.
Posted by auger on April 4, 2008 at 7:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The shrimp fleet at Shem Creek is/was the magic that made Mt. Pleasant such a unique place. With the current trend and mindset that any local area with direct access to the harbor, or the ocean, is intended for exclusive use of the wealthy, kiss this piece of local history goodbye.
Expect to see a few new exhibits at Patriots Point in the near future. An example of a shrimp trawler, a blue water sailboat, and a sport fishing boat. All will be fully functional but are now obsolete due to the prohibitively high cost of operation and slip fees. The days of the working class hero enjoying the ocean as a means of income, or even pleasure, are drawing to a close.
As to the difference in fresh local versus frozen Asian shrimp, try a blind taste test. The texture, flavor, and natural sweetness of the local is far superior to the farm produced bait. If you do not detect the difference, see your Doctor immediately! You have clearly lost your sense of taste.
Posted by GG on April 4, 2008 at 7:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ALL fellow MP'ers need to attend the meeting on Tuesday to voice their opinions.
We need to do whatever it takes to help our shrimping buddies.
Posted by CedarPosts on April 4, 2008 at 7:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
rolf - The "real shrimpers" used to be on both sides of the creek. That is way it's called "Shrimp Boat Lane" on the other side Magwoods has a dock and four or five boats that as docked most of the time out of season.
But at one time both sides were stacked with shrimp boats.
Check out the photo from 1970's at http://cedarposts.blogspot.com
also look at the google earth photo from 1980 vs the 2003 photo and you'll see how many shrimp boats used to be on the north side.
Posted by charlestonnative1963 on April 4, 2008 at 9:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mount Pleasant is alreading loosing the charm...our southern way of life that brought all thsoe people from "off" is slowly fading away. It is very very very sad and I don't think Mt. Pleasant can be saved...as long as we allow just ONE more hotel, and ONE more restaurant...just ONE more....soon our marsh, tidal creeks, and natural beauty will be GONE and so will the tourist who come to see it. Then we will be left with New Jersey. Not a very pleasant image is it.
Posted by auger on April 4, 2008 at 9:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
CedarPosts, you need to cut rofl some slack. He/She is likely upset that the view from his/her condo/townhouse window isn't exactly the "Norman Rockwell" experience that his/her realtor promised.
Posted by rofl on April 4, 2008 at 11:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Auger, I don't even live in Mt.Pee. The facts are the facts. I am all about real shrimpers being on that side of the creek again. It just hasn't been so since as Cedarposts stated......the 2003 google earth photo. History is great, but this is the present. Have you been there? A bunch of trash. I actually live on the Intracoastal waterway, nobody blocking my view!!!!!! The truth hurts.
Posted by rofl on April 5, 2008 at 12:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh, and one more thing Auger. Please tell me where the condo/townhouse windows are located. I hear it's a buyers market and I might want to invest. Why don't you show up at the meeting and ask that the town preserve some space at a reasonable price to real shrimpers trying to make a decent living? At this point anything is still possible. You just can't possibly believe that getting rid of some crack heads will lead to the demise of the shrimping industry!!!!!