percent of the fish, the remainder can 

 be processed for fish meal and fish oil. 



Researchers will continue to refine 

 the process used to make surimi out of 

 menhaden. They'll also be examining 

 the biophysical-biochemical basis for 

 the extraordinary heat-gelation 

 properties of fish muscle proteins. 



To make surimi production more 

 feasible, Allen Chao will try to 

 minimize the amount of water 

 necessary for surimi production. The 

 conventional washing process requires 

 a water volume 9 to 15 times the 

 volume of the finished product, and it 

 generates a large effluent treatment 

 load. But a proposed counter-current 

 process may reduce the water require- 

 ment by up to two-thirds. 



The researchers: 



Tyre Lanier, Department of Food 



Science, North Carolina State 



University 

 Donald Hamann, Department of Food 



Science, North Carolina State 



University 

 Frank Thomas, Department of Food 



Science, North Carolina State 



University 

 Allen Chao, Department of Civil 



Engineering, North Carolina State 



University 



Taking stock 



The striped bass is a prized commer- 

 cial and recreational catch. But in re- 

 cent years, the population of natural 

 stocks declined dramatically. In 1974 

 commercial fishermen from North 



Carolina to Maine caught 14.7 million 

 pounds of striped bass. By 1980 the 

 commercial catch totaled less than 5 

 million pounds. Sport fishermen re- 

 ported similar catch declines. 



Previously, Sea Grant researchers 

 demonstrated the potential of a striped 

 bass hybrid (striped bass x white bass) 

 as an aquaculture candidate. The 

 hybrid exhibited superior growth 

 rates, improved survival, greater dis- 

 ease resistance and general hardiness 

 and adaptability. 



Now, researchers will tackle the task 

 of turning that potential into reality. 

 In an effort to launch aquaculture as a 

 viable industry in the state, they'll 

 combine research with demonstration. 



Howard Kerby and Melvin Huish 

 will work to improve the culture 

 characteristics of hybrids through 

 genetic manipulation. 



Ronald Hodson, director of Sea 

 Grant's aquaculture research, and 

 marine advisory agent Randy Rouse 

 will transfer that research to a 

 demonstration project designed to 

 work out the details of intensive 

 culture and to transfer the results to 

 industry. 



The success of an aquaculture in- 

 dustry also will depend on a low-cost 

 nutritional feed for the fish. Margie 

 Gallagher will focus her efforts on 

 finding the right food for the commer- 

 cial culture of striped bass. She'll be 

 evaluating various protein/energy 

 ratios and the effects on growth, body 



composition, metabolism and the 

 digestion of protein. 



An additional prerequisite to the 

 development of a successful striped 

 bass hybrid production facility is the 

 control of disease problems. This is es- 

 pecially important in intensive 

 aquaculture systems where disease 

 problems are often magnified because 

 of the close confinement of the fish. 

 Aquaculturists estimate parasites cost 

 them $50 million annually. Ed Noga 

 will develop culture methods for ec- 

 toparasites of fish in an effort to reduce 

 disease problems. 



The researchers: 



Howard Kerby, Department of 



Zoology, North Carolina State 



University 

 Melvin Huish, Department of 



Zoology, North Carolina State 



University 

 Ronald Hodson, Associate Director, 



UNC Sea Grant College Program 

 Randy Rouse, marine advisory agent, 



UNC Sea Grant College Program 

 Margie Gallagher, Institute for 



Coastal and Marine Resources, East 



Carolina University 

 Ed Noga, School of Veterinary 



Medicine, North Carolina State 



University 



1955 



1960 



1965 



1970 



1975 



1980 



Commercial catches of striped bass have declined dramatically 



