COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Crab Sex Appeal 



It's only natural 

 to wonder what attracts 

 female blue crabs to 

 males — if you're a 

 scientist or crabber. 

 As part of the mating 

 ritual, female blue crabs seek 

 out males when the females 

 begin to molt, or lose their hard 

 outer shells. Crabbers take advantage 

 of this natural attraction by using male 

 crabs as bait for the females, which are about 

 to become valuable soft-shell crabs. 



One of 14 Blue Crab Research Program 

 grant recipients in 2002, crabber Dell 

 Newman of Swan Quarter is teaming with 

 Dan Rittschof of Duke Marine Laboratory in 

 a project called "Pheromones from Male 

 Crabs: Basic Properties and Bait Potential." 

 The two hope to identify the male pheromone 

 that attracts females for potential use in 

 artificial bait in the soft-shell crab industry. 



And how about crabs as bait for high 

 school students? In a study with an educa- 



tional twist, David Eggleston of North 

 Carolina State University will work with 

 coastal high schools to lure students into the 

 arena of scientific inquiry. Students from 

 Cape Hatteras, Manteo and Mattamuskeet 

 high schools will assist researchers in 

 studying larval recruitment of blue crabs, 

 comparing data from previous years to 

 determine the success of the fishery. 



The Blue Crab Research Program is 

 funded by the N.C. General Assembly and 

 administered by North Carolina Sea Grant in 

 order to address problems confronting the 

 state's most lucrative fishery. Hard crab 

 landings in North Carolina have fluctuated 

 considerably in recent years. 



The program encourages collaborations 

 between scientists and the fishing community. 



For information about the 2003 N.C. 

 Blue Crab Research Program, go online to 

 www.ncsu.edu/seagrant and follow research 

 links, or call North Carolina Sea Grant at 

 919/515-2454. Or, e-mail Marc Turano at 

 marc_turano@ncsu.edu. — C.H. 



Nominees Sought for Conservation Awards 



Do you know of a person who has 

 worked tirelessly to protect a local creek, or 

 maybe a group of citizens making a positive 

 impact on environmental issues in a 

 community? 



Perhaps you know a scientist who goes 

 beyond the call of duty in studying the 

 natural denizens of the coast — and in 

 alerting the public about issues relating to 

 their conservation. 



Each year the N.C. Wildlife Federation 

 presents the prestigious Governor's 

 Conservation Achievement Awards Program 

 — the highest conservation honors given in 

 the state — to acknowledge individuals, 

 governmental bodies, associations and 

 others who exhibit an unwavering commit- 

 ment to conservation in North Carolina. 



By recognizing, publicizing and 

 honoring these conservation leaders — 

 young and old, professional and volunteer — 



the Wildlife Federation hopes to inspire all 

 North Carolinians to take a more active role 

 in protecting natural resources. 



Nominations are sought in 1 4 categories 

 — from Conservationist of the Year to 

 Environmental Educator of the Year, including 

 categories for youth, conservation organiza- 

 tions, businesses and municipalities. Special 

 categories honor contributions to sports- 

 manship and conservation of forests, aquatic 

 ecosystems, water quality and air quality. 



The Governor's Conservation Achieve- 

 ment Awards Program has a half-century 

 legacy of discovering, honoring and publicizing 

 the state's conservation heroes — and it's all 

 done through nominations from the public. 



Nominations are due Dec. 1 3, 2002. A 

 complete list of categories and downloadable 

 forms are available from www.ncwf.org. For 

 more information, contact the N.C. Wildlife 

 Federation at 800/264-6293. 



Dr. Beach Picks 

 Ocracoke 



Ocracoke Island was among 

 "America's Best Beaches for 2002" named 

 by Stephen P. Leatherman, director of the 

 Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida 

 International University in Miami. 



Leatherman, also known as "Dr. 

 Beach," annually ranks the top beaches in 

 the country. The expert visited some 650 

 major public recreation beaches before 

 making his "top 10" selection. 



His 50 criteria forjudging include 

 beach width, condition, sand softness and 

 color, size of breaking waves, water color, 

 currents, cleanliness and the presence of 

 shorebirds. 



Ocracoke was in good company. The 

 "best beach" list included four in Hawaii, 

 four in Florida and one in New York. — P.S. 



COASTWATCH 5 



