Photo by Karen Jur^ensen 



Growing more than cypress trees, North Carolina 's fertile estuaries are 

 the nurseries for many of the state's fish and shellfish 



Grant researchers, Charles Peterson 

 and Richard Deriso of the University 

 of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

 (UNC-CH), along with Peter Fricke of 

 East Carolina University (ECU), are 

 beginning a study of hard clams. Ap- 

 plying clam biology and a study of the 

 clams' abundance, the researchers will 

 try to determine how clam kicking af- 

 fects estuarine bottoms and what effect 

 it might have on future clam colonies. 

 Another aspect of the study will focus 

 on the socio-economic impact of 

 management policies. The researchers 

 will mark young clams, follow their life 

 cycle, conduct clam-kicking experi- 

 ments and survey clam fishermen. 

 Their study may help officials manage 

 this controversial harvesting method. 



Shrimping 



After a poor shrimp harvest in 1978, 

 North Carolina shrimp fishermen, 

 processors and marketers suffered 

 economic losses. A relief program was 

 initiated to recoup some of the losses, 

 but only three percent of the state's 

 shrimpers and five percent of the 

 dealers applied for and received loans. 

 Why did so few seek aid? Officials are 

 unsure of the answer because little is 

 known about the social and cultural 

 aspects of the shrimp fishery. That's 

 why sociologists John Maiolo and John 

 Bort of ECU are beginning a study of 

 the fishery. They want to find out how 

 traditions, kinships, experience and 

 education affect the shrimpers' views 

 of the fishery; how the fishing industry 

 perceives federal and state aid 

 programs, and how many members of 

 the fishing industry have alternate in- 

 come sources. Maiolo and Bort plan to 

 interview fishermen, processors, 

 marketers and fisheries experts. 



Water 



Water is the lifeblood of every 

 seafood processing plant. You can't 

 steam crabs, fillet fish or shuck 

 scallops without it. In North Carolina, 

 most processors pump water from a 

 nearby stream into the plant. In the 

 past, the used water, including the 

 seafood wastes, often went right back 

 into the stream. 



But that's changing. The Environ- 

 mental Protection Agency now re- 

 quires that the discharge water be 

 treated. Some seafood processors com- 

 plain that conventional methods of 



treatment are complex and expensive. 

 In response, North Carolina State Uni- 

 versity (NCSU) engineers Allen Chao 

 and Jerry Machemehl, and poultry 

 scientist Jason Shih, are trying to come 

 up with a cheaper, but equally effec- 

 tive, method. 



This year the researchers will experi- 

 ment with a semi-permeable mem- 

 brane which traps fats and proteins, 

 but allows small molecules, such as 

 those in water, to pass. The researchers 

 believe that the water will be clean 

 enough for reuse in the plant, thereby 

 cutting down on water consumption 

 and energy use. Higher operating costs 

 of the proposed system would be 

 further offset by the fact that the 

 plants might be able to sell the trapped 

 material for use in pet food or other 

 products. 



Jobs 



One of the growing pains industries 

 commonly have is the problem of 

 machines displacing people. Often, 

 machines replace unskilled workers 

 and, at the same time, create new, 

 more specialized jobs for people who 

 can look after the machines. The 

 seafood industry is no exception. And, 

 as the industry continues to grow, 

 many see manpower problems on the 

 horizon. 



This year, Nozar Hashemzadeh and 

 Michael Simmons, two assistant 

 professors of economics at North 

 Carolina A & T State University, 

 begin a Sea Grant-funded study of the 

 problems. In 1980, the researchers will 

 intern with the N. C. Department of 

 Labor to learn ways to help ease the 



