COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Stocking Stuffer Idea: 



A Guide to North Carolina Seashells 



For many people, seashells are 

 just part of the beach scenery — 

 thousands of pretty but nameless 

 objects strewn along the shore. Other 

 people know the names of shells but 

 often wonder how they were formed 

 and what type of animal lived inside. 



Now — just in time for Christ- 

 mas — there's a guide to identifying 

 shells common to the North Carolina 

 coast. Seashells of North Carolina, 

 written by Hugh Porter and Lynn 

 Houser and photographed by Scott 

 Taylor, is a beautiful reference book 



for anyone who wants to research 

 their seashore finds. 



Once you begin to recognize a 

 few shells, a walk down the beach is 

 never the same. Gradually you learn 

 to use certain marks to solve the 

 puzzle of shell identification. 



Experienced shell collectors 

 know a piece of wet driftwood may 

 be full of shipworms or woodboring 

 clams. Shelters carefully search sea 

 fans for tiny simnias. They scan fields 

 of marsh grass for periwinkles. With 

 practice, their sharpened eyes spot 



clam holes in the mud and identify 

 tracks left by moonsnails. They 

 recognize some new shells from 

 pictures they have seen. Other shells 

 send them scurrying for their guides. 



The seashell guide includes 

 photos and descriptions of 261 

 North Carolina seashells. The cost 

 is $12. To order, call 919/515-9101 

 or write North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 Box 8605, NC State University, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. Ask for 

 UNC-SG-97-03. □ 



Bluefin, big-eye and yellowfin tuna are prized 

 commercial and recreational catches that can be 

 hooked just a few miles off" the Tar Heel coast. But to 

 retain their quality and market value, these big fish 

 should be handled properly from the time they're taken 

 off" the hook. 



In the new brochure Tuna Handling, Sea Grant 

 Extension Agent Jim Bahen and Lorraine Coffey of the 

 North Carolina State University Seafood Laboratory 



Tips 



describe the best practices for bringing high-quality, fresh 

 tuna to the dock. They explain handling, bleeding, 

 gutting, gilling and chilling procedures. In addition, they 

 describe the various cuts of tuna and discuss the prepara- 

 tion of raw, cooked and canned tuna. Finally, the team 

 provides seafood-safety tips and a tuna salad recipe. 



For a free copy of Tuna Handling, write North 

 Carolina Sea Grant, Box 8605, NC State University, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605 or call 91 9/51 5-91 01 . m 



4 HOLIDAY 1997 



