a c k talk 



Coastwatch wants to hear from you 

 on topics relating to the North Carolina 

 coast. Letters should be no longer than 

 250 words and should contain the 

 author's name, address and telephone 

 number. Letters may be edited for 

 style. Send all correspondence to 

 Coastwatch, UNC Sea Grant, Box 

 8605, N.C. State University, Raleigh, 

 NC 27695. Opinions expressed on this 

 page are not necessarily those of UNC 

 Sea Grant employees and staff. 



Ocean Waters Ripe for 

 Rip Currents 



Drowning has already claimed a 

 few lives along the North Carolina 

 coast this summer. Sea Grant agent 

 Spencer Rogers says interest is piqued 

 about rip currents, often to blame for 

 beach drownings. We thought this 

 would be a good time to answer any 

 questions you might have about these 

 potentially dangerous currents. With a 

 little knowledge and caution, tragedies 

 can be averted. 



Often mistakenly called undertows, 

 these strong currents can pull even 

 experienced swimmers away from 

 shore. Too often, the results are panic 

 and drowning. 



Rip currents are formed when water 

 rushes out to sea in a narrow path. This 

 happens when there is a break in a 

 nearshore sandbar or the current is 

 diverted by a groin, jetty or other 

 barrier. Rip currents can extend 1 ,000 

 feet offshore, can reach 100 feet in 

 width and can travel up to 3 mph. 

 Some are present a few hours; others 

 are permanent. Rip currents are more 

 prevalent after storms, but can occur 

 anytime. 



Learn to identify the telltale signs 

 of rip currents: 



• A difference in water color (either 

 murkier from sediments or darker from 

 greater depth). 



• A difference in the waves — 



larger, choppier waves in the rip 

 current; smaller, calmer waves in front 

 of the bar. 



• Foam or objects moving steadily 

 seaward. 



• An offshore plume of turbid water 

 past the sandbars. 



A pair of polarized sunglasses cuts 

 the glare and helps spot rip currents. 



If you become caught in a rip 

 current, don't panic. Don't swim 

 against the current. Swim parallel to 

 shore until you are out of the current. 

 Rip currents are rarely more than 30 

 feet wide. If you can't break out of the 

 current, float calmly until it dissipates, 

 usually just beyond the breakers. Then 

 swim diagonally to shore. 



If you don't swim well, stay in 

 wading depths and watch for sudden 

 drop-offs. 



Putting the Sting 

 in Summer 



Diane Allen, a Coastwatch reader in 

 Fuquay-Varina, called us about an 

 unusual abundance of jellyfish along 



the Pamlico River in Aurora early in 

 June. She and her waterskiing compan- 

 ions counted as many as 150 in a single 

 swarm. Her brother sighted masses of 

 the creatures on the Pungo River as 

 well. Allen says locals expect to see 

 many jellyfish toward the end of July 

 and during August, but wondered about 

 the untimely appearance of these 

 stinging creatures. 



We checked with Jess Hawkins, 



district supervisor for the N.C. Division 

 of Marine Fisheries in Washington, 

 N.C. One reason for the multitude of 

 jellyfish, he says, could be the high 

 salinity in the estuary sustained by a dry 

 early spring. As of mid- June, rain had 

 not substantially depressed salinity 

 levels, he says. Also, gusts of northeast 

 winds blowing into Pamlico Sound 

 pushed salt water up the Pamlico and 

 adjoining tributaries. Combined, the 

 direction of the winds and the high 

 salinity produced just the right soup for 

 these salt-seeking marine animals. 



Mild Taste off 

 Amberjack Alluring 



Is amberjack edible? What about 

 the parasites? How do you prepare it? 

 Joyce Taylor, Sea Grant's seafood 

 education specialist, was asked all of 

 these questions by Dan Peruski, a caller 

 from Kernersville. 



Amberjack is certainly edible, 

 Taylor says. They yield thick fillets that 

 (when cooked) are white and mild 

 tasting. Many anglers compare their 

 taste to king mackerel, wahoo and 

 cobia. 



Yes, they can have worms, or 

 parasites. But so do most fish, even 

 grouper and trout. The parasites cannot 

 be transmitted to humans, and they are 

 usually confined to the tail. So simply 

 cut off the tail and eat the shoulder, 

 which contains most of the fish's meat. 



Amberjack is excellent baked, 

 charcoaled or broiled. Add a zippy 

 seafood sauce or slow-cook the fish in a 

 smoker. 



For more information about this 

 delectable fish, write for Sea Grant's 

 underutilized species series that 

 includes information about amberjack, 

 sea robin, skates and rays, triggerfish, 

 panfish, jack crevalle, sharks, sheeps- 

 head, bonito and croaker. Ask for UNC- 

 SG-85-09 through 85-18. Please include 

 $1 to cover postage and handling. 



24 JULY/AUGUST 1992 



