THE BACK PAGE 



"The Back Page" is an update 

 on Sea Grant activities — on 

 research, marine education and 

 advisory services. It's also a good 

 place to find out about meetings, 

 workshops and new publications . 

 For more information on any of 

 the projects described , contact the 

 Sea Grant offices in Raleigh 

 (919/737-2454). For copies of 

 publications, write UNC Sea 

 Grant, NCSU, Box 8605, Raleigh, 

 N.C. 27695-8605. 



During hurricane sea- 

 son, boaters need to be 

 on their own kind of 

 coast guard. From June 

 until November, hurri- 

 canes can occur any 

 time, tossing boats 

 around marinas or out to sea. But boat 

 damage can be minimal if operators 

 take some precautionary measures 

 before the skies blacken and the wind 

 whips through the sails. 



First, prepare a checklist of equip- 

 ment needed to secure your boat. 

 Assemble it and keep it together. Also, 

 check your homeowner's insurance 

 policy to see if it adequately covers 

 storm damage to your boat and 

 protects you if the boat gets loose and 

 causes damage elsewhere. 



On board, have enough line (about 

 200 feet) to tie your boat securely. 

 Nylon line or spring lines are recom- 

 mended. Use chafing gear on all lines 

 to protect them from wear. Make sure 

 the fenders are well secured to your 

 boat to protect it from other boats, sea 

 walls and other obstructions during a 

 storm. Keep bilge pumps in top work- 

 ing order. Have radio equipment 

 available for receiving weather infor- 

 mation and for communications. Keep 

 batteries fully charged; a spare battery 

 on deck is a good idea. If possible, fuel 

 tanks should be kept full during 

 hurricane season. 



The National Weather Service 

 issues a warning 12 to 24 hours before a 

 hurricane. Boat owners should act im- 

 mediately upon a warning. 



If conditions are safe, transport your 



boat to a dry shelter. If you can't get 

 to a shelter, pull your boat ashore and 

 tie it to a large, strong tree with a good 

 root system. When tying it, remember 

 that the tide rises 10 to 20 feet above 

 normal and wind directions change 

 during a hurricane. Secure the boat for 

 all directions. 



If the boat must stay in the water, 

 take all movable equipment off such as 

 sails, radios and cushions. Latch down 

 all you cannot move. And seal all open- 

 ings to make it as watertight as possi- 

 ble. 



If you are on the water when a warn- 

 ing is issued, immediately head for safe 

 harbor. Don't stay with your boat; 

 seek shelter on land. 



The National Oceanic 

 and Atmospheric Ad- 

 ministration is taking 

 applications for fisheries 

 observers for the Foreign 

 Fishing Vessel Observer 

 Program. Fifteen to 25 

 positions are available each month for 

 two- and three-month tours at sea. Ob- 

 servers live aboard foreign fishing 

 vessels operating within the U.S. 200- 

 mile fisheries conservation zone in 

 North Pacific waters. Duties include 

 collection and recording of biological 

 and catch volume data. 



Preference will be given to can- 

 didates with training in marine 

 biology, fisheries biology, fisheries or 

 related fields. For an application 

 packet, write Robin Hill, Frank Orth 

 and Associates Inc., Suite 517, 110 

 110th Avenue, N.E., Bellevue. Wash. 

 98004. Or, call 206/455-3507. 



Unc Sea Grant will cosponsor an 

 artificial reef conference Sept. 30 at the 

 University of North Carolina at 

 Wilmington. The conference will bring 

 together university researchers, fish- 

 eries managers, public officials and 

 fishermen to discuss the status of ar- 

 tificial reef development in the 

 southeast. The conference is free and 

 open to the public. Other sponsors in- 

 clude the UNC-W Department of 

 Biological Sciences, the National 



Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- 

 tion's National Undersea Research 

 Program — Southeast Region, and the 

 Wrightsville Beach King Mackerel 

 Tournament Committee. For more in- 

 formation, call Sea Grant Marine Ad- 

 visory Service Director Jim Murray at 

 919/737-2454 or UNC-W marine 

 biologist Dave Lindquist at 919/394- 

 3474. 



North Carolina 

 fishermen who plan to 

 harvest seafood other 

 than oysters from the 

 tidal waters of Virginia 

 must apply for a license. 

 If you plan to fish in 

 Virginia waters during the 1986 calen- 

 dar year, you must apply for a non- 

 resident harvester's license and any 

 other required licenses prior to Sept. 

 30, 1985. 



For more information, contact the 

 Virginia Marine Resources Commis- 

 sion, P.O. Box 756, 2401 West Avenue, 

 Newport News, Va. 23601. Or call 

 804/247-2238. 



Boating is big business in North 

 Carolina. That's why Sea Grant and 

 the N.C. Saltwater Fishing Federation 

 are sponsoring a study to examine the 

 economics of the state's recreational 

 boating industry. 



Using mini-grant funds. Sea Grant 

 researcher Jeff Johnson, an 

 anthropologist at East Carolina Uni- 

 versity, will compile information on 

 the number of boating manufacturers, 

 the people they employ, and the 

 money the industry generates. His 

 findings, along with data from an 

 earlier Sea Grant study of North 

 Carolina's recreational sound fishery, 

 will provide a better picture of the 

 overall impact of the sportfishing 

 industry. 



Bob Stryker, former president of the 

 federation, says this study will provide 

 information that sport fishermen can 

 present to the legislature and to the 

 fisheries commission to support the 

 idea that the industry is large. In addi- 



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