conditions. Kerby and Huish believe 

 that the more vigorous hybrids will 

 thrive in aquaculture. And, they 

 report, the hybrids are just as good to 

 eat as the popular striped bass. 



Better tests 



Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the 

 big name for one little bacterium that 

 has microbiologists baffled. Through 

 Sea Grant studies begun in 1978, 

 NCSU food scientists Bibekananda 

 Ray and Marvin Speck found that 

 vibrio is the most prevalent bacterium 

 in North Carolina seafoods. The 

 researchers are skeptical about the ac- 

 curacy of standard tests which show 

 that most of the Vibrio parahae- 

 molyticus are non-pathogenic. This 

 year Ray will head a new project 

 designed to formulate a simple, sen- 

 sitive test which will distinguish be- 

 tween the two strains. 



Management 



Last year's shrimp harvest of 2.7 to 

 2.8 million pounds was a "fair" catch 

 after the worst harvest on record in 

 1978, 1.8 million pounds. But the 1979 

 harvest was nothing like the catches of 

 years past, which were often 4 million 

 to 5 million pounds. 



Officials are hoping that better 

 management policies can put the 

 shrimp fishery back on an even keel. 

 Researcher George Fishman of UNC- 

 CH is developing a numercial model 

 that will help management agencies 

 predict the economic and biological ef- 

 fects of differing shrimp management 

 policies on shrimp and other fishes. 

 The model will be based on the biology 

 and behavior of shrimp as well as the 

 geographic, social and economic 

 aspects of the North Carolina fishery. 



Spot, croaker 



Another researcher, John Miller of 

 NCSU, is also working toward better 

 fishery management policies. Miller is 

 studying juvenile spot and croaker in 

 their estuary nurseries to see which 

 seasonal, environmental and biological 

 factors most affect their abundance. So 

 far, Miller has found that both spot 

 and croaker rely largely on 

 zooplankton for food. Besides a com- 

 mon diet, croacker and spot also seem 

 to share habitats. But Miller wants to 

 know what biological or environmental 



Photo by Steve Murray 



factors separate them and what causes 

 their abundance to vary. By discover- 

 ing these differences, officials will 

 know how nursery management 

 policies might affect spot and croaker 

 and other species as well. 



While researchers are grappling with 

 some of the long-range concerns of the 

 state's fishing industry, fishermen are 

 struggling to adapt to shortages, new 

 gear, rising fuel costs and increased 

 competition. 



To help them keep up, Sea Grant, 



working with Jim McGee of the Divi- 

 sion of Continuing Education at ECU, 

 is conducting courses designed 

 specifically for fishermen. Wayne 

 Wescott, who is coordinating the 

 courses, has asked fishermen what 

 they need to know, and, in response to 

 their ideas, has conducted classes in 

 everything from boat maintenance to 

 financing. 



Plans for 1980 include classes in elec- 

 tronics, safety in cold water, and sur- 

 vival equipment. 



Marching as if to a fisherman 's tune, two children cross a weathered foot- 

 bridge at Oriental 



