Coastwatch 



Managing Editor: 

 Kathy Hart 



Senior Editors: 

 Daun Daemon 

 Jeannie Faris Norris 



Designer: 

 Linda Noble 



Marketing Coordinator: 

 Elizabeth Burke 



Circulation Manager: 

 Sandra Harris 



The North Carolina Sea Grant College Program 

 is a federal/state program that promotes the 

 wise use of our coastal and marine resources 

 through research, extension and education. 

 It joined the National Sea Grant College Network 

 in 1970 as an institutional program. Six years later, 



it was designated a Sea Grant College. 

 Today, North Carolina Sea Grant supports several 

 research projects, a 12-member extension 

 program and a communications staff. 

 Ron Hodson is interim director. 

 The program is funded by the U.S. Department 



of Commerce's National Oceanic 

 and Atmospheric Administration and the state 

 through the University of North Carolina. 

 Coastwatch (ISSN 1068-784X) is published 

 bimonthly, six times a year, for $15 

 by the North Carolina Sea Grant College Program. 

 Box 8605, North Carolina State University, 

 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605. 

 Telephone: 919/515-2454. Fax: 919/515-7095. 

 E-mail: k_hart@ncsu.edu. 

 World Wide Web address: 

 http://www2.ncsu.edu/sea_grant/seagrant.html. 

 Periodical Postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 



POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 



Coastwatch, North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 Box 8605, North Carolina State University, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. 



Front cover photo of duck decoys 

 by Scott D. Taylor. 



Table of contents photo of a dolphin 

 by Scott D. Taylor. 



Printed on recycled paper. ® 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Don't Feed the Dolphins 



M ovies and television shows 

 that depict people swimming with 

 dolphins may do more harm than 

 good for the marine mammals. Well 

 intentioned folks who want to 

 commune with nature may try to 

 take a watery 

 ride with a 

 dolphin — 

 and put these 

 creatures in 

 harm's way. 



Dolphins 

 that beg for 

 handouts from 

 boaters can get 

 too close to 

 turning propel- 

 lers and sustain 

 serious injuries. 

 Because 

 dolphins are 

 social animals, 

 the begging behavior and depen- 

 dence on handouts can upset their 

 groups, called pods. The animals 

 may lose the ability to survive, and 

 calves may not learn to find food in 

 the wild. Human food can make 

 dolphins sick, again threatening their 

 chances of survival. 



People can also suffer from 

 interactions with dolphins. As with 

 most wild animals, dolphins can be 

 defensive or behave aggressively 



when humans approach. They have 

 been known to bite them and even pull 

 them from boats into the water. 



Folks who persist in pursuing 

 close encounters with dolphins should 

 know that the Marine Mammal 



Protection Act 

 forbids harass- 

 ing, feeding, 

 hunting, 

 capturing or 

 killing them. 

 Violating this 

 act carries a 

 maximum 

 penalty of 

 $20,000 and 

 one year in jail. 



Observing 

 dolphins from a 

 safe distance, 

 however, is not 

 illegal. The 

 National Marine Fisheries Service 

 advises boaters to stay at least 50 

 yards away and let these wild animals 

 live nature's way. 



— Based on information in Protect 

 Dolphins: Admire Them From a 

 Distance, a brochure published by the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service. For 

 more information about dolphins and the 

 Marine Mammal Protection Act, contact 

 the Office of Protected Resources in Silver 

 Spring, Md., at 301/713-2289. n 



In the Next Issue of Coastwatch 



• Squeamish about sushi? 

 Learn the raw facts about this increasingly popular food. 



• Wilmington's St. John's Art Gallery goes to school — 

 and uses art to teach children about coastal history and culture. 



•Around Valentine's Day, hearts flutter and skip beats, 

 but the lovestruck can keep those hearts healthy 

 with low-fat sea fare. 



2 HOLIDAY 1997 



