When their projects are completed, 

 the researchers are required to share 

 their findings among fellow fishermen, 

 the MFC and academic institutions. 



"A lot of them said they would go 

 to local organizations," Clem says. "If 

 they're in aquaculture, 

 they'll go to the annual 

 aquaculture conference 

 and make a presentation. 

 Some make presenta- 

 tions to the MFC. Others 

 have prepared videos. 

 Generally they are 

 pleased to come and talk 

 about their experience at 

 any opportunity." 



In June, the MFC is 

 planning to review and 

 update the priorities for 

 the program's 1997-98 

 funding cycle, Clem 

 says. 



"This will start the 

 process earlier and give 

 fishermen more time to 

 prepare and work with 

 Sea Grant and the 

 Division of Marine 

 Fisheries in developing 

 applications for the next 

 cycle of the grant 

 program," he says. 



data from 417 sites. Specifically, she 

 looked at five parameters (calcium, 

 pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature 

 and salinity) that influence the zebra 

 mussels' ability to live and reproduce. 

 Then she compared each of these 



New Map Evaluates Potential 

 for Zebra Mussel Infestation 

 of North Carolina Waterways 



For the first time in North 

 Carolina, a study has examined the 

 vulnerability of state waterways to 

 infestations by zebra mussels — a 

 prolific and costly exotic species. 

 These findings have been plotted onto a 

 map and presented to a gathering of 

 natural resource managers in Portland, 

 Ore. 



Barbara Doll, North Carolina Sea 

 Grant's water quality specialist, 

 produced the risk-assessment map of 

 state waterways based on water quality 



parameters to conditions in state 

 waterways. The results of her com- 

 parison are displayed on the map. 



Although zebra mussels have not 

 yet arrived in North Carolina, they've 

 wrought havoc in other states and 

 have cost millions of dollars in control 

 and cleanup. Discovered in the Great 

 Lakes in 1988, the mussels have 

 spread throughout much of the 

 Northeast. They've traveled as far 

 south as Louisiana through the 

 Mississippi River system and worked 

 their way west into Oklahoma by way 

 of the Arkansas River. About the size 

 of a thumbnail, they have moved with 

 the aid of human activities, including 

 barge traffic on the Mississippi and its 



canal networks, which has left behind 

 a trail of infestations. Meanwhile, in 

 Connecticut and Michigan, recre- 

 ational boaters and fishers have 

 carried zebra mussels to inland lakes 

 on their boats and trailers. The 



mussels have encrusted 

 the insides of water- 

 intake pipes and water 

 treatment and industrial 

 processing facilities. 

 They've attached to 

 underwater pilings, 

 locks and even sub- 

 merged cars, becoming 

 so prolific in some areas 

 that they've altered 

 aquatic ecosystems. 



In the Great Lakes 

 area, where the infesta- 

 tion began, industries 

 and public utilities 

 could only react to the 

 problem. But other parts 

 of the country — 

 including North 

 Carolina — have had 

 enough warning and 

 information that they 

 can approach the threat 

 proactively. Most large, 

 at-risk facilities in 

 North Carolina have 

 already outlined plans for preventing 

 and managing the costly mollusks. But 

 many smaller facilities — including 

 municipal water treatment plants, 

 industrial processing facilities and 

 lake associations — have not taken 

 precautions. 



The map — available free from 

 Sea Grant — can help explain the risk 

 of zebra mussel colonization in state 

 waterways, which is the first step 

 toward developing a plan of action. It 

 can also help resource managers better 

 target education, monitoring and 

 enforcement programs. To order, write 

 Box 8605, N.C. State University, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695, or call 919/515- 

 2454. Ask for UNC-SG-97-01. ® 



COASTWATCH 25 



