TheBack Pa£e 



"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 pub- 

 lications, write UNC Sea Grant, Box 8605, 

 NCSU, Raleigh, N.C. 27695-8605 



/ISk /^eN\ What's the best way to 



flyufiQ^ catcn a wave ? 



I If it's a "wave" of peeler 



/ cra, ° s > wri Y not fry a crab 

 V^W pound? 



That's what Sea Grant 



marine agent Bob Hines used last spring 

 and summer to catch the pre-molt 

 crustaceans. 



Hines tested the pounds— a trap con- 

 sisting of a lead net, heart and box— in 

 Orchard Creek in Oriental during June, 

 July and August. 



In other parts of the eastern United 

 States, pounds have been effective in 

 catching peelers as they move in "runs" 

 or "waves." 



When blue crabs shed their hard outer 

 shell, they remain soft for a brief period of 



time. These soft crabs are a delicacy that 

 can bring from $12 to $24 a dozen. 



"The key to making enough money in 

 shedding crabs is to catch enough 

 peelers," says Hines. Some fishermen 

 won't go to the trouble of culling the poten- 

 tial soft crabs. As a result, millions of 

 peelers are inadvertently sold on the hard 

 crab market. 



"The idea with the crab pounds is to 

 find some way to get that supply of 

 peelers so that shedders can justify ex- 

 panding their operation to derive more 

 profit," says Hines. 



To learn more about building and using 

 crab pounds, write Sea Grant for a free 

 copy of "Building and Using Crab Pounds 

 to Catch Peelers." The publication number 

 is UNC-SG-BP-91-01. The address is Sea 

 Grant, Box 8605, North Carolina State 

 University, Raleigh, N.C. 27695. 



If the town of Nags Head has its way, 

 no one there will be served on Styrofoam 

 or any other polystyrene products. 



The town board is asking the legislature 

 for the right to ban the use of polystyrene 

 in prepared meal packaging. 



A ban would reduce the amount of 

 plastic litter along the roads and beaches, 



says town manager Webb Fuller. 



But that's not all. Production of some 

 polystyrene has been linked with the 

 depletion of the earth's ozone layer. 



Fuller says the town wants to make a 

 statement about protecting the 

 environment. 



"We've had some discussions with local 

 restaurant owners, and they're basically in 

 favor of it," he says. "I think they're willing 

 to adjust." 



Fuller said the ban would apply only to 

 prepared meals packaging— such as from 

 restaurants or grocery store delis. 



If passed, the legislation would apply to 

 other willing local governments in Dare 

 County, Fuller said. Nags Head may set a 

 precedent for other Tar Heel communities. 



Coastwatch is published monthly except 

 July and December by the University of 

 North Carolina Sea Grant College Pro- 

 gram, 105 1911 Building, Box 8605, North 

 Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C. 

 27695-8605. Vol. 18, No. 3, March 1991. 

 Dr. B.J. Copeland, director. Kathy Hart, 

 editor. CR. Edgerton and Carla B. 

 Burgess, staff writers. 



105 1911 Building 

 Box 8605 



North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605 



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