TlieBackRi 



"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. 



North Carolina clams 

 are big business. In 1986, 

 the hard-shelled mollusks 

 accounted for $7.5 million 

 in income to North Carolina. 

 That money was earned 

 mostly by part-time clammers who picked 

 a site at random and waded into knee- 

 deep water with bull rakes and floating 

 wash tubs. 

 But there's a better way. 

 Sea Grant's newest publication will show 

 you how to get your fair share of the Tar 

 Heel clam pie. 



Clam Gardening: A Manual for the 

 Small-Scale Clam Operation in North 

 Carolina focuses on how to lease a clam 

 gardening site, plant seed clams, and 

 harvest and market the mature crop. 



Marine Advisory agent Skip Kemp wrote 

 the manual based on his own research 

 and his extensive experience working with 

 successful clam gardeners up and down 

 the Tar Heel coast. 



"This manual is geared for the average 

 person who wants to start his or her own 

 clam gardening operation in estuarine bot- 

 tomland leased from the state," Kemp 

 says. "It's a book anyone can use." 



The 36-page manual includes how-to 

 drawings and photographs and lists com- 

 panies that can supply the necessary 

 equipment. Several tables and charts illus- 

 trate what the clam gardener can expect 

 from an average crop. 



For your copy of the manual, send $5 to 

 UNC Sea Grant, Box 8605, North Carolina 

 State University, Raleigh, N.C. 27695-8605. 

 Ask for publication UNC-SG-91-02. 



The 1991 North 

 Carolina Commercial Fish- 

 ing Show is right around 

 the corner— March 9-10. 



The show will feature ex- 

 hibits and sales of items 

 used in commercial fishing, such as boats, 

 engines, nets, hydraulics, electronics and 

 more. 



Sponsored by the Carteret County 

 Watermen's Association, the show will be 

 held at the Crystal Coast Civic Center, 

 3505 Arendell St., Morehead City. Show- 

 times are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 9 and 

 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 10. Admission is 

 free. 



NASA will have its SARSAT (Search and 

 Rescue Satellite) van on exhibit. This 

 system, used by Emergency Position- 

 Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs), will 

 be explained and demonstrated. 



A series of seminars sponsored by Sea 

 Grant will be offered to watermen during 

 the two-day event. Topics include: "Crab 

 Shedding as a Commercial Venture," 

 "Shellfish Culture as a Commercial Ven- 

 ture," "Dioxin in North Carolina Waters," 

 "Seafood Safety and Inspection Legisla- 

 tion and the Fisherman," and "TEDs in 

 North Carolina— What Do We Expect in 

 1991?" 



For a schedule of the seminars, contact 

 Sea Grant marine agent Bob Hines at 

 919/247-4007. 



Would you like to know 

 more about how to preserve 

 and protect North Caro- 

 lina's coastal resources? 



If so, the third annual 

 Coastal Celebration prom- 

 ises to offer entertaining and educational 

 answers to your questions. This unique 

 two-day festival focuses on what individ- 

 uals can do to conserve coastal resources. 



The celebration is set for April 13-14 in 

 the Kerr Scott Building at the North Caro- 

 lina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. The 

 theme for 1991 is "Our Past, Our Future." 

 Admission is free. 



The event will include demonstrations of 

 trades such as boat building, model boat 

 construction, net making and mending, 

 oyster shucking and decoy carving. Also 

 back this year will be traditional music and 

 dance, coastal folklore, storytelling and 

 scrumptious seafood. 



Last year's celebration drew more than 

 15,000 people. 



A new attraction is the Educational Re- 

 sources Room, which will feature panel 

 discussions, slide presentations, demon- 

 strations, lectures and other programs 

 designed to educate adults and young 

 conservationists. 



The event is part of WRAL-TV's Save Our 

 Sounds project. Co-sponsors include the 

 North Carolina Coastal Federation and 

 other non-profit and governmental 

 organizations. 



Sea Grant and The Big Sweep will be 

 among the exhibits included. We hope to 

 see you there! 



When it comes to getting a good buy 

 and the freshest fish at the seafood counter, 

 it pays to know what's in season. 



Sea Grant has a seafood poster that 

 colorfully charts the availability by month 

 of North Carolina's most popular fish and 

 shellfish species. 



At a glance, the 23-by-17 inch poster 

 can tell you when Tar Heel fishermen are 

 harvesting bluefish, flounder, king mackerel, 

 snapper, shrimp and clams. For example, 

 you'll know that February is a good month 

 to buy sea bass, gray trout and porgies, 

 but in July you'll want to fill your grocery 

 bags with shrimp, croaker and hard crabs. 



Using the chart should help you plan 

 meals, get better buys and choose the 

 freshest fish and shellfish. 



The chart was compiled by Sea Grant's 

 seafood education specialist Joyce Taylor. 

 It's based on North Carolina commercial 

 landing statistics. 



If you'd like to hang this seafood availa- 

 bility chart in your kitchen, write Sea Grant. 

 Ask for UNC-SG-84-04. The cost is $2. 



