An official website of the State of Georgia.
Posted TBD
Coastlines Georgia | August 2025 | Vol. 8, Iss. 2
By Fisher Medders
Public Affairs, CRD
Beach Week 2025: Hands-On Stewardship & Conservation Giveaways Sweep Georgia’s Coast
CRD's annual Beach Week celebration this week brought together coastal communities, partners, and CRD staff to celebrate and safeguard Georgia’s shorelines. Over three days on Jekyll, St. Simons, and Tybee islands, staff hosted educational booths, hands-on stewardship activities promoting best fishing practices, and conservation-themed giveaways. Partners included the Jekyll Island Authority, U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Keep Golden Isles Beautiful, Tidelands 4-H Nature Center, and the Tybee Marine Science Center.
CRD Releases New Guidance Document for Living Shoreline Design
CRD, in partnership with a coastal engineer and contractor, has released a new guidance document to support the design and implementation of living shorelines along the Georgia coast. Titled “Living Shorelines in Coastal Georgia: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding and Designing Living Shorelines on the Georgia Coast,” the document offers science-based criteria for site suitability, consistent design standards, and best management practices such as oyster recruitment and native vegetation planting. Intended for homeowners, regulators, engineers, contractors, and other stakeholders, the guide also includes case studies, sample design plans, cost comparisons, FAQs, and resource links. To learn more or download the guide, visit CoastalGaDNR.org/LivingShorelines.
Youth Fishing Event Engages 140 Middle School Students
CRD staff led a two-day fishing program at the Epworth Conference Center on St. Simons Island, engaging 140 middle school students. The event introduced participants to local marine species, basic fishing gear, and responsible fish handling practices. Students caught and released 10 different species, including red drum, black drum, croaker, bluefish, pigfish, and pinfish—making for an exciting and educational experience.
Fish, Fun, and Free Rods: A Big Day for Little Anglers
CRD hosted 77 youth ages 5-12 on Saturday, June 7, for the annual John Pafford Memorial Kids Fishing Event in Brunswick. This free angling education opportunity is held in conjunction with National Fishing and Boating Week and Georgia’s no-license fishing days. Youth and their families received training in angling ethics, knot tying, rod and reel handling, cast netting, and water safety. The Law Enforcement Division supported the event with a Safe Boat on the water and a game warden on the hill. The weather cooperated nicely with a cool breeze, and participants caught a variety of fish including whiting, seatrout, and flounder. Every registered youth received a free Zebco 404 rod/reel combo, tackle in a small tackle box, and measuring tape, and a hot dog lunch. Funding is provided by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act. Click here to see a photo gallery of smiling, happy faces.
Shrimp's On! Georgia Waters Buzz with Opening Day Action
Georgia’s commercial and recreational food shrimp season opened Tuesday, June 10. An aerial survey by WRD counted 68 trawlers along Georgia’s 105-mile coastline on opening day, which saw a morning threat of thunderstorms break into a pleasant afternoon fit for fishing. CRD has been gathering data about our state shrimp fishery year-round since 1976. Our trawl survey samples creeks, sounds, and beaches, and measures the abundance, size, and reproductive stage of shrimp. May’s assessment found it took about 17 shrimp to make one pound, which means the shrimp are larger than the 10-year average of 19 shrimp. This is a good sign and indicates a sustainable and healthy fishery. In 2024, Georgia issued 177 commercial shrimping licenses, down from 210 in 2023. In 2023, shrimpers reported landing about 2.4 million pounds of shrimp with a dockside value of $8.8 million. The season closes by law each year on Dec. 31, but can be extended by the Commissioner if conditions are favorable. Click here to see a photo gallery of photos from opening day.
Fishing Fun for Special Students
Outreach and Communications staff hosted a fishing clinic May 13 for special needs students from Pierce County Middle School. The students joined staff at Blythe Island Regional Park in Brunswick for an angling education session followed by fishing from the Blythe Island pier. The following day, 100 students from Oglethorpe Point Elementary School on St. Simons Island visited Coastal Regional Headquarters for Conservation Stations featuring mini-programs on animal adaptations, marsh ecology, and castnetting. WRD and Parks assisted in the programs.
Fisheries Chief Represents Georgia at SAFMC Meeting
Dr. Carolyn Belcher, Chief of CRD's Marine Fisheries Section, represented DNR at the week-long South Atlantic Fishery Management Council's meeting in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The Council acknowledged new approaches may be necessary to federal fisheries management given recent changes that include reductions in staffing and funding at NOAA Fisheries and presidential executive orders. The Council paused work on the For-Hire Reporting Improvement Amendment as well as an amendment to implement a private recreational permit and education requirement for the snapper grouper fishery. Work on an amendment affecting the commercial snapper-grouper fishery will move forward with public scoping on potentially revising or removing the current 2-for-1 snapper grouper unlimited permit, considering dynamic trip limits that vary throughout the season, and establishing a non-target or out-of-season allowance for harvest. The Council will develop a framework amendment to address declining Black Sea Bass abundance. Potential actions will consider lowering catch levels, changes to minimum size limits, reducing the recreational bag limit, and implementing a spawning season closure. Additional information about the meeting is available at https://safmc.net/events/june-2025-council-meeting/.
Marine Fisheries Section Kicks Off Annual Longline Survey for Reds and Sharks
The Marine Fisheries Section recently kicked off its annual Coastal Longline Survey for adult red drum and sharks. Each month from June to Septemper, 35 stations off southeast Georgia are randomly sampled across three strata (inshore, nearshore, offshore) in 13–65-ft depths during daylight to match adult red drum emigration. From the R/V Glynn, a 0.5-nautical-mile, 600-lb monofilament longline with 60 baited droplines is soaked for 30 minutes. Captured red drum and sharks are identified, measured, weighed, and tagged; Atlantic sharpnose sharks are untagged.
Reef Pilot Project Topic of Upcoming GPB Story
Public Information Officer Tyler Jones spoke with Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Benjamin Payne on June 3 about CRD’s ongoing oyster restoration project in McIntosh County. Payne is doing a radio broadcast story about the wire module oyster units currently being deployed to Teakettle Creek near Sapelo Island. This technique is novel to Georgia, but has been successful in South Carolina. Jones emphasized the benefits of oyster restoration, including enhanced fishing and recreation opportunities, improved water quality, and shoreline stabilization. The story is set to air on GPB’s network of stations the afternoon of June 5 and morning of June 6.
ACE Camp Engages Students in Marine Science and Habitat Restoration
CRD hosted the Adventures in Conservation Education (ACE) Camp on campus on July 18. Staff from CEWC and a team of middle schoolers learned about Georgia marine fishes, the Marine Sportfish Carcass Recovery Project, and otolith aging studies with Marine Educator Brooke Vallaster. Marine Biologist Cameron Brinton and Marine Technician Ashley Haymans of the Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Unit introduced the students to habitat enhancement and technology used to monitor artificial reef projects along our coast. Eddie Leonard led a tour of the R/V Reid Harris and discussed the importance and process of monitoring blue crab and shrimp populations.
CRD Hosts Outdoor Wildlife Leadership Teachers
CRD hosted the Outdoor Wildlife Leadership School teachers workshop from Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center on July 11. Teachers learned about Georgia's marine fishes, some of CRD's ongoing monitoring efforts, and living shoreline initiatives on the coast. They also participated in a trip with the Ecological Monitoring Trawl Survey team aboard the R/V Reid W. Harris in the St. Simons Sound and visited a living shoreline project with Wetlands Biologist Meghan Angelina.
CRD Launches At-Sea Observer Program to Monitor Recreational Reef Fish Discards
CRD is launching operations for a new at-sea observer program to improve data on recreational reef fish discards. Kristen Palmrose, the newly hired observer, will join for-hire reef-fish vessels to collect data on discarded catch, including depth, number, size, and condition. With discards comprising over 50% of recreational catch, these data will refine mortality estimates. Kristen holds an M.Sc. in Biology from UNF and has nine years of experience.
Black Sea Bass Overfished: SSC Review Fuels New Management Amendment
CRD staff attended the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting, where stock assessment showed Black Sea Bass are overfished despite Science and Statistical Committee uncertainties. The Council will draft a framework amendment to consider lower catch, size-limit changes, reduced bag limits, spawning closures; requested further SSC review. To prioritize deregulation, work on for-hire reporting and snapper-grouper private recreational permit amendments has been paused, but is still in the Council’s work plan.
Industry Backs State Red Snapper Management at ICAST ‘25
Directior Haymans and Marine Fisheries Chief Belcher met with their South Atlantic counterparts and leaders of the fishing industry during ICAST '25 in Orlando. The industry is supportive of state management of several federal species including red snapper. This was the fourth meeting of the group and was held at the world's largest sportfishing trade show.
