Tia Clark was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, as part of the Gullah Geechee community. Despite growing up in the area, she didn’t catch her first blue crab until she was 37 years old. Hooked by her experience, she soon left her job in the food and beverage industry and started Casual Crabbing with Tia, a hosted crabbing experience that became an incredibly popular Charleston experience. We caught up with Tia on a dock along the Ashley River. Here’s her story.
How did you get started with crabbing?
It’s a pretty crazy story. I’m a Charleston native and grew up eating crabs, but never tried to catch one until I was 37. I had been working in a bar and eating poorly and smoking, and just generally living an unhealthy lifestyle. In 2016, I quit smoking and still had issues, so I went on a restrictive diet and started turning my life around. I still needed to find 30 minutes of physical activity a day. My cousin said, “You should try crabbing.”
He took me to the Ashley River and taught me how to catch blue crabs. That was the first time I caught and cooked my own food, and I was hooked.
When did you decide to turn it into a business?
I had no intention of doing it, I just loved getting on the water and crabbing every day. Then my friend Robbie (Mottinger) created a Facebook page called Casual Crabbing with Tia, and started posting pictures. One day, after Robbie posted, we got around 40 messages from people asking us if we could take them. At the same time, I woman I knew from the bar where I worked told me I could get listed with AirBNB Experiences. I hosted my first AirBNB experience in 2018 and soon became a top-four experience provider.
What do you provide on the experience?
We take up to 12 people for a 2 ½-hour experience from a dock or a river bank. We teach people how to crab, throw a cast net and fish. We try to take these people on an immersive journey—no phones are allowed on the trip. (We do take pictures and provide them later.)
When people catch their own blue crabs, I clean and ice them to prepare for eating. I partner with the Charleston Crab House, a local restaurant chain with three locations, and several hotels that will cook the crabs we catch for their guests.
There’s nothing more Charleston than catching your own blue crab and eating it.
Tell me about your conservation work.
I started to understand that everyone who comes on a trip with me helps the area. Both by raising awareness and the fact that everyone 16 and over needs to get a saltwater fishing license, which raises money for state conservation efforts.
I also work with the DNR and other organizations to bring conservation efforts to schools. We teach kids how to build structures for oyster reefs that we plant along the shore that really help the local fish and crab populations.
Read Next: On Board With: Sue Wicks
Are you on the water every day?
It’s the greatest thing in my life and makes me feel alive and like a kid again. Nothing’s made me happier in life and I feel the decision to go crabbing that first time put me on the right path.
