Copeland Chairs Board 



Sea Grant Director B.J. Copeland 

 has been named chairman of the South 

 Atlantic Regional Marine Research 

 Board. The South Atlantic Board is one 

 of nine such regional boards established 

 last year by federal legislation to protect 

 the nation's water quality. 



Each board will include nine 

 members: three appointed by the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration, two by the Environmen- 

 tal Protection Agency and six by the 

 governors of the states located in the 

 region. 



One of the NOAA appointees will 

 always be a Sea Grant director, who 

 will act as the chairman. Copeland was 

 chosen by the administrator of NOAA. 



The South Atlantic region includes 

 North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, 

 Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin 

 Islands. North Carolina is also repre- 

 sented in the Mid-Atlantic region, which 

 spans from North Carolina to New 

 Jersey. 



In their first year, board members 

 will assess the coastal water quality of 

 the region and develop a plan for 

 protecting and improving it. 



In subsequent years, the board may 

 be given federal appropriations to fund 

 research and extension projects that 

 relate to water quality. 



Proposals Flood Sea Grant 

 Office 



On April 4, the Sea Grant office in 

 Raleigh needed a traffic controller as a 

 banage of researchers and messengers 

 dropped by to deliver 1992-1993 

 research proposals. 



At the end of the day, 43 proposals 

 were stacked on the floor of Director 

 B.J. Copeland's office. The proposals 

 fell into five research categories: fisher- 



A Bulletin Board 



ies, aquaculture, coastal processes, sea- 

 food technology and estuarine studies. 



Copeland says he was happy with 

 the scope and quality of research 

 represented by this year's proposals. 



The proposals will now undergo 

 intense peer and state agency review. 

 These reviews will dictate which 

 proposals are selected for the Sea 

 Grant omnibus proposal that will be 

 presented to the National Sea Grant 

 College Program in July. 



Sea Grant Programs Help 

 Reduce Deficit 



The United States imports about 

 half of the seafood consumed by 

 Americans, resulting in an almost $7 

 billion annual trade deficit. 



Across the country, Sea Grant 

 programs are funding research projects 

 and extension programs aimed at 

 reducing this deficit by increasing 

 foreign sales of our own products. 



Here are a few examples. 



• A U.S. company called on a 

 North Carolina Sea Grant specialist to 

 assist them in developing harvesting 

 technology for blue crabs in Turkey. 

 Today, this company is selling more 

 than 3,000 pounds of blue crabs per 

 day to European markets, with profits 

 accruing to the U.S. firm. 



• Virginia Sea Grant worked with 

 a seafood processing firm to develop 

 at-sea chilling and handling procedures 

 for scallops. The higher quality scallops 

 now being produced by this firm are 

 being sold in Europe and Hong Kong. 



• Until recently the Japanese 

 turned up their noses at the tuna 

 available in the United States. It wasn't 

 fresh enough for their raw fish market. 

 Recognizing the problem, Sea Grant 

 specialists along the East Coast began 

 working with tuna fishermen to 



of Updates and Events 



improve their handling procedures. As a 

 result, annual exports of fresh tuna have 

 soared from less than $300,000 to more 

 than $2 million in just five years. 



• The Japanese import more than 

 7,000 tons of the seaweed, Gracilaria, 

 every year for food and agar, a gelati- 

 nous product used as an additive in 

 cosmetics, air fresheners and pharma- 

 ceuticals. In fact, so much of the 

 seaweed is being harvested that natural 

 supplies are dwindling. But Hawaii Sea 

 Grant has supported basic research that 

 may allow commercial cultivation of the 

 seaweed in fish ponds soon. 



• To reduce the need for imported 

 fishery products, Sea Grant scientists 

 from Maine to Hawaii are improving 

 culture techniques for these species: 

 mussels, clams, oysters, scallops, hybrid 

 striped bass, crawfish, salmon and 

 prawns. 



Buying and Cleaning Soft 

 Crabs 



For many seafood connoisseurs, 

 there's no greater coastal delicacy than a 

 soft crab battered and fried. 



If you have a hankering for these 

 soft crustaceans, then late spring and 

 early summer is the time to feed your 

 need for this seasonal catch. 



You can buy soft crabs from sea- 

 food markets or from fishermen who 

 shed the crustaceans for $1 to $2 each. 



Soft crabs should be bought either 

 alive, freshly dressed or frozen, says Sea 

 Grant seafood education specialist, 

 Joyce Taylor. 



If you buy them alive, be sure to 

 clean them before cooking, Taylor says. 



To clean, use kitchen shears to 

 remove the eyes and mouth by cutting 

 across the body just behind the eyes. 

 Turn the crab on its back. Lift and re- 

 move the apron and vein attached to it. 



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