THE BACK VAGE 



"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 publi- 

 cations. 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. 



You've got your own 

 ideas about the fish you 

 catch. For instance, you 

 think that pigfish are too 

 small for eating, that 

 ladyfish are too bony to 

 bother with, and ocean 

 catfish aren't as good as their fresh- 

 water cousins. 



Well, some Sea Grant researchers 

 are out to change your mind. 



Sea Grant Marine Advisory Service 

 Director Jim Murray and East Car- 

 olina University anthropologists Jeff 

 Johnson and David Griffith have de- 

 veloped a series of six colorful bro- 

 chures featuring underutilized species 

 from Gulf and South Atlantic waters. 



You've already read about the work 

 they've done with species such as 

 amberjack, triggerfish and shark. But 

 now the researchers have added to the 

 list of fish they are promoting. 



This series of brochures features 

 pigfish, mullet, black drum, ocean cat- 

 fish, ladyfish and bluefish. 



Each brochure contains information 

 on catching, cleaning and preparing 

 the fish. And, several recipes are in- 

 cluded for each species. 



The brochures are part of a National 

 Marine Fisheries Service study in 

 which the researchers examined why 

 anglers prefer some species of fish 

 over others. 



For a free copy of the brochures, 

 write Sea Grant. Please specify which 

 brochures you want: black drum, 

 UNC-SG-86-19; bluefish, UNC-SG-86-20; 

 lady fish, UNC-SG-86-21; mullet, 

 UNC-SG-86-22; pigfish, UNC-SG-86-23; 

 and ocean catfish, UNC-SG-86-24. 



A limited number of accompanying 

 posters are available for public dis- 

 play. For more information, contact 

 Sea Grant. 



The 1986 tax reform 

 program may not 

 change a fisherman's net 

 worth, but it could affect 

 his wallet. 



Sales tax, income aver- 

 aging, depreciation — 

 they're all covered in the new pro- 

 gram. And they'll make a difference to 

 North Carolina's commercial fisher- 

 men next April. 



So decisions on how to act on these 

 changes should be made now. 



One of the changes is that state and 

 local sales taxes will not be deductible 

 in federal returns in 1987. For fisher- 

 men, this means that they cannot de- 

 duct sales tax from any items pur- 

 chased after Dec. 31, 1986 for business 

 use. 



Or if a fisherman wants to sell his 

 boat, the new tax law does not give 

 special tax status for capital gains. All 

 gains from the sale of the boat will be 

 treated as ordinary income. This pro- 

 vision could have a major impact. 

 Many fishermen used capital gains to 

 protect profits on boat sales so they 

 could retire or buy a bigger boat. 



A third possible change states that 

 only 80 perent of business meal costs 

 will be deductible. This means higher 

 costs in the long-run for fishermen 

 because groceries are a large expense. 



Check with your area Sea Grant 

 agent for other alterations in the tax 

 law (Manteo - 919/473-3937, Pine 

 Knoll Shores - 919/247-4007 and Fort 

 Fisher - 919/458-5498). Then work out 

 the best plan with an accountant or a 

 tax preparer. 



You have an opportunity to help 

 shape a management study. Sea Grant 

 is cosponsoring a conference to encour- 

 age public participation in a study of 

 the Albemarle and Pamlico estuaries. 



The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. 

 Feb. 14 at the Beaufort County Com- 



munity College in Washington, N.C. 



The study, funded through the 

 Environmental Protection Agency, 

 will draw on the expertise of a host of 

 state agencies. Its purpose is to expand 

 our knowledge of the Albemarle and 

 Pamlico estuaries and to improve our 

 management of them. 



The day-long conference is the pub- 

 lic's first opportunity to learn about the 

 study and make suggestions about it. 



Other conference sponsors include 

 the N.C. Coastal Federation, the 

 Pamlico-Tar River Foundation and the 

 Regional Development Institute at 

 East Carolina University. 



For more information, contact 

 Todd Miller, executive director of the 

 N.C. Coastal Federation, 919/393- 

 8185. 



The average angler: 

 Who is he? Where does 

 he live? Why does he 

 fish? How much money 

 does he spend? 



Four years ago, a team 

 of Sea Grant researchers 

 posed these questions to the men and 

 women who fished North Carolina's 

 northern and central sounds and rivers. 



Now their answers can be found in a 

 180-page Sea Grant report: Recrea- 

 tional Fishing in the Sounds of North 

 Carolina: A Socioeconomic Analysis, 

 by Jeffrey Johnson, Peter Fricke, Mar- 

 cus Hepburn, James Sabella, William 

 Still and Carl Hayes. 



The study reveals the socio- 

 economic characteristics of the marine 

 recreational fishing population in the 

 area. And, more importantly, it shows 

 the economic demand for and impact 

 of recreational fishing in eastern North 

 Carolina. 



For a copy of the report, write Sea 

 Grant. Ask for UNC-SG-86-12. The 

 cost is $5.50. 



For some people, recreational fish- 

 ing is more than pleasure. It's a 

 business. 



A new Sea Grant report. Marine Re- 

 Continued on next page 



