I'm in this seafood market to make a point about our swamps. That may seem funny because many people love seafood, yet hate swamps. Much of the seafood we enjoy begins life in our marshes and swamps. The borderline area where land meets water is the richest nursery of life anywhere. Hundreds of different species and thousands of individuals can be found in one pool. Many ocean species - shrimp, crab, and fish, grow up there. But, the closest most of us ever get to the swamp is a seafood dinner. People avoid swamps, thinking of them as muddy, dark, forbidding, and stagnant. In reality, those murky waters are incredibly rich in nutrients, and they teem with life. They're home for a varied array of animals I like to call "SWAMP CRITTERS".