For the second year in a row, S.C. Department of Natural Resources marine biologists released about 1.8 million red drum in South Carolina's estuaries. Red drum are also known as spottail bass and redfish, and are considered to be the most popular inshore species sought by saltwater anglers in this state. 

In only a three-month period between September and December 2003, S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) marine biologists released 1.76 million juvenile red drum into three estuaries. This includes 575,000 fish in May River in Beaufort County, 588,000 in the North Edisto River between Leadenwah and Toogoodoo Creeks in Charleston County and 605,000 in Murrells Inlet in Georgetown County. 

"It's a big accomplishment to stock such a large number of fish, and it is due to the extraordinary dedication of the staff involved in the production, marking and release of the fish," said Wallace Jenkins, DNR marine biologist. 

This was the second year in a row that the stocking efforts were expanded from the Charleston area to include May River and Murrells Inlet. One new area that was stocked in 2003 was the North Edisto River, which received 588,000 fish as a result of a DNR - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cooperative effort. This year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Bears Bluff National Fish Hatchery on Wadmalaw Island was very successful at its red drum production efforts. 

The goal of the stocking project is to increase the population of red drum along South Carolina's coast. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission currently defines the red drum fishery as "over-fished." But changes in size and catch limits that were enacted by the South Carolina General Assembly in August 2001 are projected to significantly help the population move to a position of "sustainable" when the next assessment is completed in 2005. 

The DNR controls the spawning and production of fish used in its stocking process. The approach mimics the fish's natural cycle by having the red drum spawn, or reproduce, during their regular mating season of August and September. Once the adult red drum spawn in the Charleston lab, biologists move the larvae to rearing ponds at the DNR's Waddell Mariculture Center in Bluffton. When the offspring reach about 1 inch in size they are harvested, marked and released into their natural marsh habitat at sizes similar to that of wild juveniles. 

"The primary difference is that the stocked fish are protected from predators for their first month of life compared with their wild counterparts, which enter the estuary near the bottom of the food chain and are more vulnerable to predation and environmental influences," Jenkins said. 

"Marking" the fish consists of exposing them to a chemical called oxytetracycline, which binds to their bones and shows up as a yellowish color when viewed under a special microscope. 

The marking of the fish is important for DNR biologists to evaluate the success of each year's stocking efforts. Biologists look for the chemical mark on the ear bones under a special microscope to count how many fish in a particular area are stocked versus wild, in order to determine the success of the program. 

The DNR is seeking assistance from the public to obtain any heads, known as "racks," from red drum legally taken by fishermen. The public can take the racks to specially marked freezers located near the stocked areas. Biologists will use the ear bones from these donated fish to help assess the success of the stocking project. 

Revenues from the Saltwater Recreational Fishing License Program support this project's goal to increase the abundance of the state's most popular saltwater game fish. "In effect, fishermen themselves play an important role in the red drum restocking program," Jenkins said. Funds from the S. C. Sea Grant Consortium and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sport Fish Restoration Act also support the program. 

- Written by Jennie R. Davis - 

