tists can use this characterization as a 

 base in developing plans for managing 

 the state's estuaries and to compare 

 the Newport system to other estuarine 

 systems in this state and along the 

 East Coast. 



While Costlow and Kirby-Smith are 

 digging through files and libraries, 

 Mark Sobsey, a UNC-CH researcher, 

 will be digging for clams and oysters. 

 Sobsey will be continuing his Sea 

 Grant work, begun last year, to study 

 virally contaminated oysters and 

 clams. He has already found that 

 oysters relayed from polluted waters to 

 clean waters flush harmful viruses 

 from their bodies rapidly during win- 

 ter, spring and late fall. But the 

 oysters do not purge the viruses very 

 well during summer and early fall. 



This year Sobsey will be trying to 

 find out why the oysters do not cleanse 

 themselves as readily during warm 

 weather. To find out this information, 

 Sobsey will be examing where the 

 viruses settle in the oyster's body. Sob- 

 sey will also continue to gather infor- 

 mation on the distribution and sur- 

 vival rate of viruses and bacteria in 

 shellfish, water and sediment con- 

 taminated by wastewater. Sobsey's 

 project will be useful in evaluating 

 current bacteriological standards for 

 shellfish contamination and perhaps 

 provide better ways of determining 

 shellfish contamination in the future. 



Shellfish also figure in a Sea Grant 

 study being conducted by Charles 

 Peterson, of the UNC-CH Institute of 

 Marine Sciences, and Peter Fricke, 

 who will continue their work with hard 

 clams. Last year, Peterson learned 

 that North Carolina hard clams, like 

 trees, add a growth line in their shells 

 every year. With this information, 

 Peterson will know how long it takes a 

 clam to reach a harvestable size. Peter- 

 son will also be continuing his har- 

 vesting tests. In these experiments, he 

 will be comparing the biological effects 

 of clam kicking to the more traditional 

 means of harvesting, like clam raking. 



Fricke will be conducting the 

 sociological part of the clam study. He 

 will be surveying and interviewing 

 fishermen so that he can compare the 

 economic benefits and costs of clam 

 kicking to those of clam raking. He 

 also will be seeking to learn why some 

 groups of fishermen adopted clam 

 kicking while others did not. And, 

 more generally, he will be trying to 

 determine fishermen's attitudes 

 toward management policies. 



Another continuing project con- 

 cerned with fishermen's attitudes and 

 beliefs about the fishery and its 

 management is John Maiolo and John 

 Bort's project about the shrimp 

 fishery. Maiolo and Bort, two ECU 

 sociologists, have been gathering 

 historical information on the shrimp 



Better eating for 



Since the original funding of Sea 

 Grant in 1970, money has been 

 allocated for aquaculture studies. One 

 of Sea Grant's new projects this year 

 proposes to encourage development of 

 an aquaculture industry in North 

 Carolina through research and 

 demonstration at the Aquaculture 

 Demonstration Project in Aurora. 



William L. Rickards, associate 

 director of UNC Sea Grant, says the 

 project will provide aquaculture infor- 

 mation on the American eel, coho 

 salmon and rainbow trout. In response 

 to one request, project personnel will 

 be working in cooperation with Tex- 

 asgulf in Aurora to develop fish farm- 

 ing techniques for salmon and trout 

 during the summer months. Requests 

 have also generated the need to es- 

 tablish a blue crab shedding 

 demonstration at the facility. There 

 are currently only a few crab shedders 

 in North Carolina, but a high demand 

 for softshell crabs indicates the time is 

 right for this new seafood business. 



The last part of this project will in- 

 clude aquaculture advisory services to 

 meet the many requests and bring the 

 research to the people. A reference 

 library, demonstrations and coopera- 

 tion with other agencies and active 

 aquaculturists are some of the means 

 this project will use to encourage 

 development of new aquaculture 

 businesses in the state. 



To successfully raise any species in a 

 culture system, a nutritional diet is one 

 of the primary requirements. But, this 

 one factor has been the major draw- 

 back in American eel culture opera- 

 tions in the United States. In Europe 

 and Japan, where there is a strong 

 market for eels, a nutritional diet for 

 the European eel and Japanese eel has 

 been established through research. One 

 new Sea Grant project intends to do 

 the same this year for the American 

 eel. 



fishery to give managers a better in- 

 sight into a fishery steeped in tradi- 

 tion. Maiolo and Bort also have been 

 conducting interviews with shrimp 

 fishermen and marketers to see how 

 traditions, community ties and oc- 

 cupational options of the fishermen af- 

 fect the fishery. 



the edible eel 



In Europe and Japan, eels are 

 widely used as a food source and that 

 demand has increased annually. North 

 Carolina has been harvesting and ship- 

 ping its wild eels to these markets since 

 1972, but the long-term demand can't 

 depend on just wild eel sources. The es- 

 tablishment of an eel industry can 

 meet these demands if a low-cost, 

 nutritional feed can be developed. At 

 present, there is no inexpensive com- 

 mercial feed being produced for the 

 American eel. 



Margie Lee Gallagher, assistant 

 professor of home economics at ECU, 

 is researching the nutritional require- 

 ments of the American eel. By study- 

 ing the eel's body composition, she will 

 develop the proper protein, fat, car- 

 bohydrate and energy levels necessary 

 for an artificial diet and good growth 

 under culture conditions. 



When setting opening dates for 

 shellfishing in the state, the Division of 

 Marine Fisheries (DMF) often runs 

 into conflicts. It may be the right time 

 to open clam season, but what effect 

 will certain harvesting techniques, 

 such as clam kicking, have on young 

 scallops developing in the same area. 

 Holding the opening of shrimp season 

 is sometimes good for shrimpers 

 because larger shrimp bring higher 

 prices. But, often this delay means 

 more shrimp are migrating out of the 

 estuary. What effect does crab trawl- 

 ing have on oyster beds that are being 

 built up? What works for one species is 

 often bad for another. So, where do 

 you get the information to make these 

 decisions? 



Jim Easley, Thomas Johnson and 

 Frank Benford at NCSU will be com- 

 piling the necessary information and 

 developing a set of models to help 

 DMF decide on the timing in such 



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