COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Show Highlights Fishing Heritage 



The annual N.C. Commercial Fishing 

 Show has long been a chance for fishing 

 families to catch up with each other and 

 see the latest gear. But organizers say the 

 event is more than a just a trade show — 

 it's a chance for the public to learn about 

 commercial fishing, an integral part of the 

 state's coastal economy and heritage. 



"In 1952, when the organization 

 started, public education was far from our 

 minds," says Jerry Schill, president of the 

 North Carolina Fisheries Association. "In 

 the past 50 years, the state has become 

 more urban. That makes public education 

 efforts more critical these days." 



The fishing show will be Feb. 22-23 at 

 the Riverfront Convention Center in New 

 Bern. And it will be just one part of the 



NCFA 50th anniversary celebration in 2002. 



North Carolina Sea Grant started the 

 fishing show as an extension project, but 

 turned it over to the fishing groups. This 

 year, fisheries specialist Bob Hines again 

 will coordinate a series of seminars, many 

 of which will feature results from Fishery 

 Resource Grant (FRG) projects. Members 

 of the fishing and seafood industries 

 initiate the projects. The seminars will be 

 on Saturday, Feb. 22. 



Sea Grant also will work with the 

 educational activities that will be available 

 for youngsters ages 4-1 5 on Feb. 22. 



For more information on the fishing 

 show, call 252/633-2288 or go to the NCFA 

 Web site, www.ncfish.org. The seminars also will 

 be listed on www.ncsu.edu/seagrant. — K.M. 



Fishing Families Honor Their Own 



Members of the North Carolina 

 Fisheries Association took time to honor 

 commercial fishing families' leaders during 

 thel6th Annual Fish Baron's Ball held in 

 November. 



Will Etheridge HI was tapped for a 

 Highliner Award. The Dare County native was 

 cited for "his unselfish service to commercial 

 fishing families of North Carolina" by his 



active involvement and political activism in 

 behalf of the NCFA. Etheridge was featured in a 

 High Season 2001 Coastwatch story on 

 Wanchese. 



Janice Smith of Atlantic, and her late 

 husband, Billy Smith, also received a Highliner 

 Award. They were cited for their service to 

 NCFA fishing families through financial support 

 to the association for over half a century. - P.S. 



Coast Guard 

 Lifeboats Equipped 

 for Speedy Rescues 



When U.S. Coast Guard Motor 

 Lifeboat 4725-A heads out for a rescue 

 mission off Oregon Inlet, it is ready for 

 rough conditions. 



"Our lifeboats at Oregon Inlet have 

 never rolled over," says Eddie Eacho, a 

 U.S. Coast Guard boatswain's mate third 

 class. "If a lifeboat does roll over, it will 

 turn back over in eight to 1 2 seconds. 

 The boat is sturdy and can go into a 20- 

 foot breaking surf." 



At the Oregon Inlet station, two 

 state-of-the-art 47-foot lifeboats are 

 moored at the dock, ready to conduct 

 rescue efforts. 



Both $1 .5 million boats, which have 

 been operating at the station since 1 999, 

 can speed through the water at up to 25 

 knots and have seven water-tight 

 compartments. In addition, each boat, 

 which holds up to five survivors, is 

 equipped with heavy weather seatbelts 

 that prevent the crew from falling 

 overboard. Pumps can remove up to 

 200 gallons of water per minute out 

 of sinking boats. 



"Our main goal is personal safety 

 first," says Eacho. 



The Oregon Inlet station averages 

 1 50 search and rescue cases and 1 45 law 

 enforcement boardings a year, according 

 to Eacho. 



For more information about the 

 Coast Guard, visit the Web: www.uscg.mil. 



-A.G. 



COASTWATCH 



