SCDNR biologists spend nearly 100 days a year on South Carolina waterways hauling trammel nets aboard specially designed boats.

The trammel net survey, which uses a three-layered net to trap fish, is just one of many longterm studies that SCDNR biologists use to survey key fish populations in coastal waters. Since 1990, staff have used trammel nets and trammel boats (which feature an engine in the middle of the boat to allow safe net retrieval from the stern) to track the ups and downs of fish such as the red drum, southern flounder, sheepshead, and spotted sea trout. But they study more than saltwater fish — a typical trammel net day sees around 30 different species that inhabit our coastal rivers and estuaries, including terrapins, sea turtles, and sharks.

We compiled the video below to share what a day in the life of our trammel net teams is like, using drone footage captured by biologists Gary Sundin and Ben Stone. Watch to learn more about one of the important ways our biologists collect samples and survey fish to understand the health of our coastal waters.