COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



State Acquiring 

 Bird Island 



f all goes according to plan, Bird 

 Island soon will become the N.C. Division 

 of Coastal Management's tenth designated 

 coastal reserve. In late December 2001 , 

 officials closed on the first half of the $4.2 

 million purchase option for the 1 ,200-acre, 

 undeveloped island. 



The Price family of Greensboro agreed 

 to sell the island to the state over a two- 

 year period. The $2 million first installment 

 came from grants from the N.C. Heritage 

 Trust Fund and the N.C. Clean Water 

 Management Trust Fund. 



"We are confident that we will identify 

 the resources to complete the deal this 

 year," says Brian Long, a coastal manage- 

 ment spokesperson. The division will seek 

 the balance from state or federal sources. 



Bird Island is located in Brunswick 

 County, between Sunset Beach and South 

 Carolina. A portion of the island that 

 extends over the state line is owned and 

 protected by the U.S. Army Corps of 

 Engineers. The island once was accessible 

 only by boat, but a land bridge to Sunset 

 Beach formed when Mad Inlet closed in 

 recent years. 



The site teems with wildlife — 

 including visits from migrating wood storks. 

 It also attracts boaters, anglers and beach 

 lovers, says John Taggart, director of the 

 N.C. Coastal Reserve System. 



Though research and education are 

 primary missions for reserves, the public will 

 continue to be invited to enjoy the island's 

 recreational bounty, Taggart says. — P.S. 



Study Finds Low Oxygen Levels 

 Slow Fish Growth 



North Carolina Sea Grant researchers 

 have found that low oxygen levels in North 

 Carolina estuaries can slow the growth rate 

 of juvenile fish and shrimp. 



Led by North Carolina Sea Grant 

 researcher James Rice, the scientists found 

 31 to 94 percent lower growth rates in fish 

 exposed to low levels of oxygen — or 

 hypoxia — which often occurs over large 

 areas of our estuaries during the summer. 

 Shrimp growth rates were 20 to 25 percent 

 below normal. This study has important 

 implications for fishery resource managers 

 because most of North Carolina's commer- 

 cial and recreational fisheries are dependent 

 on estuarine nursery areas. 



"Problems associated with low oxygen 

 in estuaries may affect fishery production, 

 even when you do not see massive fish 

 kills," says Rice, a North Carolina State 

 University zoology professor. 



The researchers determined that even 

 when fish avoid low oxygen areas they 



migrate to other habitats, resulting in high 

 density. 



"Our field experiments show that 

 overcrowding can lead to lower growth and 

 survival rates in fish, even if there's plenty 

 of oxygen in the water," says Rice. 



For some species, the effects of 

 hypoxia may be more pronounced, reducing 

 the density of benthic food organisms. 



Rice and his graduate students are 

 working with Sea Grant scientists in 

 Louisiana and Delaware to determine how 

 temperature and oxygen levels combine to 

 affect fish movement behavior, growth, and 

 survival. 



The researchers hope to develop a 

 computer model from their results that will 

 help managers better understand how fish 

 populations will be affected by water quality 

 changes. 



To learn more about new North 

 Carolina Sea Grant research projects, see 

 page 23. — A.G. 



SEAS Expo Set for April 



Are you curious 

 about what lies within 

 the deep blue sea? 



Then join all levels 

 of divers, including 

 national experts, at the 

 Seas 2002 Scuba Expo 

 to be held April 6 - 7 in 

 Raleigh. 



Sponsored by a 

 variety of dive shops 

 around the state, the expo will be held at the 

 McKimmon Center at North Carolina State 

 University. 



Exhibits will include information on the 

 latest equipment and on dive locations from 

 North Carolina to exotic locales. Educational 

 booths will include North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 the Divers' Alert Network and groups 

 interested in marine preservation. 



A pool will be 

 available for first-time 

 introductory dives or 

 to test new equipment 

 There is a special "Sea 

 Urchins" program for 

 youngsters. And 

 winning entries of an 

 | underwater photogra- 

 j phy contest will be on 

 display. 



Advance tickets are $7 per person. 

 Admission is $1 at the door. Each Sea Urchins 

 session — which includes fish printing on 

 T-shirts, educational programs, and a chance to 

 try kid-friendly gear in the pool — is $8 per child. 



For ticket sale locations and a complete 

 schedule, including seminars, check the Web at 

 www.seas-expo.com or send an e-mail to 

 seas@ipass.net. —KM. 



4 SPRING 2002 



