COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



New Kayak Maps Available 



Riddlers can find their way around Crystal Coast waters easily thanks to the efforts of the 

 Crystal Coast Canoe and Kayak Club. 



The club's map describes paddle trails and put-ins along the White Oak River — from the 

 Maysville/Belgrade area to Bogue Sound. 



The map was produced with assistance from local outfitters and Crossroads, a Beaufort-based 

 citizens' group, and a grant from the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. 



The maps are available free of charge from CCCKC, the Carteret County Tourism Development 

 Bureau and the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation. 



To request a free map, send e-mail to vacation@sunnync.com or darrell.mcbane@ncmail.net. 



Planning has begun for a second map that will focus on Bogue Sound from Emerald Isle 

 to Morehead City — possibly including Goose Creek, Broad Creek and the Newport River. 



For additional information about CCCKC and paddling in the Crystal Coast area, send 

 e-mails to info@ccckc.org, or visit the club's Web site at www.ccckc.org. — P.S. 



.Venomous 

 Lionfish Found 

 Off N.C. Coast 



Divers and fishers who venture to 

 waters off the North Carolina coast should 

 steer clear of lionfish that have been spotted 

 near shipwrecks. While the fish is appealing 

 to the eye, its venomous spines are 

 dangerous to humans and other fish. 



Sightings of the Pacific fish should be 

 reported to experts at the National Oceanic 

 and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 

 laboratory in Beaufort. Scientists want to 

 determine the number and range of the 

 lionfish in the southern Atlantic waters. The 

 species is Pterois volitans, a popular 

 saltwater aquarium fish. 



Local divers first reported the sightings 

 last year. The number of observations and 

 distance between sightings suggest that 

 more lionfish may be found off the coast 

 and that they may be able to survive the 

 winter water temperatures. 



"Now that scientists have positively 

 identified the species, we need to determine 

 the distribution of lionfish along the 

 southeastern United States," says Bill 

 Hogarth, director of the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries). 



The scientists want to know if the fish 



are reproducing in the Atlantic waters. 

 Beaufort Laboratory researchers also will 

 focus on age and growth of the species 

 along with their food habits. Then officials 

 will ascertain what steps, if any, may be 

 necessary to halt the spread of this species. 



NOAA Fisheries is working with 

 NOAA's Ocean Service to alert divers and 

 fishers not to touch the lionfish. But photos 

 of Atlantic sightings will help the NOAA 

 research effort. 



For more information or to report a 

 sighting, contact Donald Hoss, director of 

 the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory, 101 Pivers 

 Island Road, Beaufort, NC 28516-9722; 

 phone, 252/728-8746; fax, 252/728-8784; 

 e-mail, don.hoss@noaa.gov. 



If possible, provide coordinates of 

 where the lionfish was seen, and at what 

 depth. Also provide any photos from the 

 sighting. - KM 



Coastal 

 Paddlipg 

 Publications 



In coastal North Carolina, paddlers 

 can navigate more than 1,200 miles of 

 water trails — from the brackish marshes 

 on the Alligator River to Lake Phelps with 

 its towering bald cypress. 



When navigating waterways, 

 paddlers have an economic and 

 environmental impact on northeastern 

 communities. 



To enhance paddling opportunities 

 in coastal communities, the North 

 Carolina Coastal Plains Paddle Trails 

 Initiative recently completed a series of 

 projects, including a paddler's survey, 

 research proceedings, printed guide and 

 Web site: http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/ 

 nctrails.html. 



Copies of the survey, final report and 

 conference proceedings are available from 

 North Carolina Sea Grant. To order 

 printed guides and publication copies, call 

 919/51 5-91 01 . Refer to NCCPPTI The 

 State of North Carolina PaddlingSurvey, 

 UNC-SG-OI-06; NCCPPTI 2001 Coastal 

 Plains Paddle Trails Research Conference 

 Proceedings, UNC-SG-01-07; and 

 NCCPPTI Final Report, UNC-SG-01-08. 



— A.G. 



COASTWATCH 



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