Around Anastasia Island: Research vessel Lady Lisa may be nearing its end

Beach visitors were captivated by what appeared to be a shrimp trawler meandering close to shore along St. Augustine Beach last week. But this was no ordinary shrimp trawler, nor was it actually “shrimping.”

The vessel in question was the Lady Lisa, a 75-foot former shrimp trawler, and now a research vessel, which has appeared for more than three decades in local waters – usually twice a year.

Although it appears that it was in violation of off-shore limits, the regulations do not apply to the Lady Lisa, which was built in St. Augustine in 1980 by St. Augustine Trawlers Inc.

Around Anastasia Island: Lady Lisa shrimp trawler continues her mission

Research vessel: Lady Lisa skirting shores

Studying sea life: Research boat Lady Lisa returns to study local fish

Upon completion, it was repositioned to Bennett’s Point, South Carolina, which became the trawler’s home port. But it was not the shrimp business that its owners had in mind. According to newspaper reports, on Nov. 26, 1980, U.S. Customs agents and members of the Colleton County, South Carolina, sheriff’s department investigated a call regarding drug activity at the site.

The officers found bales of marijuana on nearby concrete and on conveyer belts. In plain view, tags reading “Lady Lisa” were attached to the bales. The seven crew members onboard were then read their Miranda rights and placed under arrest.

The Lady Lisa was confiscated and in 1986 became part of the cooperative effort to facilitate the collection, management and dissemination of fisheries-independent data from the waters of the southeastern United States. It became the primary sampling platform for several state and federal projects, working near Atlantic coastal waters between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and Cape Canaveral, Florida.

But Lady Lisa may have seen her better days, according to Pearse Webster, chief scientist for the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program South Atlantic Coastal Survey.

“She has been a great platform for our survey for over three decades. But, recognizing that she is showing her age, the state of South Carolina has begun to allocate funds for her future replacement. We are early in that process, so I don’t have a detailed timeline for you,” Webster emailed from the vessel.

“But — enjoy your glimpses of the Lady Lisa while you can, as she may only be working off St. Augustine, in her current capacity, a few more times,” he cautioned.

In its 2022 budget, the State of South Carolina, in its process of Research Vessel Replacement, has requested the amount of $1,207,000 to replace the R/V Lady Lisa.

The request notes that the “R/V Lady Lisa has been maintained regularly over the 30+ years that she has been in service to the SCDNR; however, her hull, sub hull stringers, and other critical vessel support systems are failing after having well-exceeded her design life. Failure to replace this vessel will jeopardize the operation of or shut down multiple federal and state mandated programs.”

More on the vessel

Lady Lisa is powered by a 415 HP, 12-cylinder Caterpillar Engine and is capable of towing two 80- foot trawls. It has accommodations for three crew members and eight scientists. The research vessel is maintained by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The vessel provides well-equipped platforms for performing scientific sampling, fisheries monitoring and education by numerous agencies, colleges and universities throughout the country in addition to the ongoing work at DNR.

The scope of work conducted onboard includes research with in-water turtles, as well as monitoring the status and trends of a variety of coastal species in the Southeast. A number of federal and state permits are maintained in order to conduct the operations. Trawl tows are limited in duration to 20 minutes bottom time which limits the quantity of the catch as well as reduces the possibility of the tow harming sea turtles. Priority species collected are those of commercial or recreational fishing interest like spot, croaker, Spanish and king mackerel, flounders, bluefish, weakfish, penaeid shrimp (white, brown, pink) and blue crabs. They also include sharks, sea turtles and horseshoe crabs.

During its latest visit, Webster reported that catches were relatively light, “though not distressingly so, for spring.

“Atlantic bumper was a major component of the catch between Canaveral and just south of St. Augustine. But, nearing St. Augustine, the prevalence of bumper was dropping and Atlantic croaker and spot took the lead, which is a trend that is not unusual for us to see,” Webster noted.

“We picked up at least a few white shrimp in almost every drag and it seemed that their abundance was generally a bit higher north of Ocean Trace Road. But one single tow very close to that area did stand out as it was roughly 75% shrimp. Not a big catch, but a pretty sight for anyone inclined to spend their time on a shrimp trawler, and a contrast to other catches that day.”

What will happen to the R/V Lady Lisa when she is retired/replaced? Here’s a thought:  Perhaps she should/could be returned to St. Augustine, her “birthplace,” where her story can continue in a permanent exhibit on the history of shrimping off the waters of St. Augustine.

SACA back in business

South Anastasia Civic Association SACA, the South Anastasia Communities Association dedicated to environmental and quality of life issues along the southern coast of St. Johns County, is back on track after delays and cancellations caused by COVID-19 restrictions, according to its president Keto Burns.

SACA is back to holding meetings at Marineland’s University of Florida’s Whitney Lab along with that are followed by topics of community interest which have ranged from local candidate forums, the impact of sea level rise and local fishing tips and panel discussions.

It’s not all work and no fun for SACA as the organization gathers once or twice a year at Genungs Fish Camp on the Matanzas River at sunset for oysters, clam chowder, music and renewed fellowship.

In addition to Burns, the board of directors includes Vice President Amy Lohman, Secretary Charles Delony, Treasurer Dennis Chipman and General Board Members Patrick Hamilton, George Jacunski, Penelope McCormick, Jan Corcoran, Maureen Welch, Ann Taylor.

Anyone interested in joining SACA can call 904-471-0753 or email maureenmwelch@hotmail.com. For information, call Burns at 904-315-8194.

Scholarships awarded

The local Sons and Daughters of Italy organization honored four local high school students with scholarships recently (on May 14). The students, all of Italian descent, include Dylan Pece of St. Augustine High School, Skyler Green of Bartram Trail High School, Marisa Costello of Bartram Trail High School, and Anderson Davis of St. Augustine High School. The awards dinner took place in Jubilee Hall at St. Anastasia Catholic Church located on Anastasia Island. Steve Melnick, president of the group, said that more than $3500 in scholarships have been awarded this year. For information on membership in the organization, contact Melnick at 904-377-7089 or via email at smelnick@bellsouth.net.

Concerts by the Sea

The free Wednesday night concert series at St. Augustine Beach Pier Park, sponsored by the St. Augustine Civic Association, continues through the month of June, takes the month of July off, and resumes with concerts from August 1 to Sept. 21.

The remaining performers include: June 8, Josh Stewart Band; June 15, Ain’t Too Proud; June 22, Paul Lundgren Band; June 29, Slang.

Schedules for both sessions are available at freebeachconcerts.com. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. Concertgoers should bring a chair, blanket or towel for seating. You can bring your own food and beverages. Optional food purchases will be available from one of the Village Garden Food Trucks with different menus at each concert. For updates visit sabca.org.

If you have news to share about people and events on Anastasia Island or the adjoining areas,  Send your information to staugbeachwatch@aol.com or call 904-471-4851

This article originally appeared on St. Augustine Record: Lady Lisa works the Atlantic from Cape Canaveral to Cape Hatteras, NC