A Forum for Coastwatch Readers 



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 conespondence 

 to Coastwatch, UNC Sea Grant, Box 8605, North Carolina State 

 University, Raleigh, NC 27695. Opinions expressed on this page 

 are not necessarily those of UNC Sea Grant employees or staff. 



Shaking A Bad Image 



Dear Editor, 



I am a resident of Carolina Beach and have been so for five 

 years now. I read with much dismay your article regarding the 

 comparison of our beaches (May/June 1991). I must tell you that I 

 am weary of writers and everyone else constantly comparing the 

 two beaches of Wrightsville and Carolina. It is apparent that 

 Wrightsville Beach is an affluent town. However, much money and 

 time has been spent by the taxpayers of Carolina Beach to build 

 up and beautify our beach. 



This beach is growing, and many, many new residents are 

 moving in here each year. These people are no different from the 

 people who reside over in Wrightsville Beach. The residents of 

 Carolina Beach have taken pride in the accomplishments that have 

 been made here. There are many positive aspects to our beach 

 and the boardwalk is not one of them. However, if you were to go 

 to Johnnie Mercer's Pier in Wrightsville Beach, you would see the 

 very same situation. Your glowing report of Wrightsville is 

 wonderful, but I really feel like you did not give Carolina Beach a 

 fair shake and the credit it deserves for building up and becoming 

 the beautiful beach that it is today. We who live here are proud to 

 call Carolina Beach "Our Town." 



Arlene L. King, Carolina Beach, N.C. 



Don't Kill Sharks and 

 Rays Needlessly 



Dear Editor, 



I had to write you to request a con-ection in the Sharks and 

 Rays at the Point article (Backtalk, May/June 1991). In your article 

 you stated: if you catch a ray, exercise caution and cut or clip off 

 the tail." It should say: if you catch a ray and plan to keep it to 

 eat, exercise caution and cut or clip off the tail." Maybe you just 

 don't realize how many fishermen cut off the tails of skates and 

 rays and then throw them back into the water to suffer and most 

 likely die. 



Roxanne D. Dorman, Wrightsville Beach, N.C. 



Pier Muncher is a Bore 



Dear Editor, 



I have an odd question for you on the maintenance of piers 

 in salt water. I live in retirement at Topsail Beach on Banks 

 Channel — great place! 



Eight or nine years ago, I was told if I removed the growth 

 and barnacles from my pier several times in the warm weather, I 

 could prolong the life of the pilings. This year is the first year I 

 physically couldn't clean them myself so I paid a man to do the 

 pilings. 



Now I'm told that cleaning does no good except where my 

 boat might rub against them. 



Tme or false? I had a lot of good exercise these last few years 

 and wonder if I did any good! 



Margaret L. Moore, Holly Ridge, N.C. 



Outside of abrasion to your boat, you needn 't worry about 

 barnacles, says Sea Grant coastal engineer Spencer Rogers. 

 Barnacles don 't damage the wood; they just hang around on the 

 outside. 



The real culprits in damage to wooden pilings and decks are 

 shipworms and limnoria. The shipivoim is a relative of the clam. It 

 doesn't eat wood, but bores into it, creating tunnels in which to live. 

 You can see only the tiny hole where the earthworm-sized creature 

 pokes its head from and feeds. The destmctive mazes within the 

 wood remain hidden. 



The limnoria, which is kin to a shrimp, does eat wood. This 

 1/4-inch creature will even munch through creosote. Its snackings 

 leave a trademark hourglass-shaped piling. 



The only way to guard against these nuisances is by using 

 properly treated lumber (chromated copper arsenic is recom- 

 mended) during constmction. Existing untreated pilings are 

 completely vulnerable to these creatures, which have been known to 

 destroy a pier in less than six months. 



Highs and Lows, Ebbs and Flows 



Dear Editor, 



How do they calculate high and low tide times? 

 Eddie W. Scott, Mebane, N.C. 



Tide variation of the tides is caused by the complex relation- 

 ships between the earth, moon and sun. Although time tides vary 

 widely from place to place, it is possible to predict high and low 

 tides. Since tide times repeat themselves over the years, careful 

 records of past tides aid in the prediction of current tides. The 

 longer records are kept, the more accurate the prediction. 



20 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1991 



