Coastwatch 



Managing Editor 

 Katie Moshcr - • ; 



Senior Editors 

 Ann Green 

 Pam Smith 



Contributing Editor 

 Cynthia Henderson 



Designer 

 L. Noble 



Circulation Manager 

 Sandra Harris 



The North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Program is a federal/state program that 

 promotes the wise use of our coastal and 

 marine resources through research, extension 

 and education. It joined the National Sea Grant 

 College Network in 1970 as an institutional 

 program. Six years later, it was designated a 

 Sea Grant College. Today, North Carolina Sea 

 Grant supports several research projects, 

 a 15-member extension program and a 

 communications staff. Ron Hodson is director. 

 The program is funded by the U.S. Department 

 of Commerce's National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration and the state 

 through the University of North Carolina. 

 Coastwatch (ISSN 1068-784X) 

 is published six times a year by the 

 North Carolina Sea Grant College Program, 

 North Carolina State University, Box 8605. 

 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605. 

 Telephone: 919/515-2454. Fax: 919/515-7095. 

 Subscriptions are $15. 

 E-mail: katie_mosher@ncsu.edu 

 World Wide Web address: 

 http://www.ncsu.edu/seagrant 

 Periodical Postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 



POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 



Coastwatch, North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 North Carolina State University. Box 8605. 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. 



North Carolina 



Front cover photo of a Core Banks 

 cottage and table of contents photo 

 of a sand dune by Scott D. Taylor. 



ecycled paper ® 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Courtesy of NC Suite College o/V, 



Researchers 

 Find New 

 Method for 

 Detecting Skin 

 Disease in Fish 



North Carolina Sea Grant 

 researchers have discovered that a 

 fluorescent dye can be used to assess 

 the health offish. 



The scientists found that 



fluorescein, a nontoxic dye that glows in the dark, can be used to detect the presence of skin diseases 

 in all types offish, including rainbow trout, channel catfish, goldfish and hybrid striped bass. 



"Fluorescein has the potential to be an inexpensive, safe and highly sensitive way of detecting skin 

 damage in fish," says Ed Noga of the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. 



"Skin infections are the most common maladies affecting both cultured and wild fish. Virtually 

 every fish population at one time or another is affected by some type of skin damage. This test can be 

 used by anyone who works with fish, including the aquaculture industry, aquariums and pet stores." 



Noga's co-investigator was NC State veterinary medicine graduate student Pareeya 

 Udomkusonsri. The study appeared in the November 2002 issue of Veterinary Pathology. 



This is the first time that researchers have used fluorescein for detecting skin ulceration in fish. 

 The dye commonly has been used to detect ophthalmic lesions, such as cornea ulceration in humans 

 and animals. It also has been used as a trace in clinical studies of ocular blood flow or angiography. 



"The beauty of this test is that it allows you to look at the entire body of the fish," says Noga. 

 "Now, researchers use histology to detect skin diseases. Histology is very expensive, time-consuming 

 and not very accurate at detecting skin diseases in fish." 



With early intervention of skin ulcers, he says, treatment is more likely to be successful. 



"The early stage of skin damage is much easier to manage than large visible ulcers," Noga adds. 



The use of this test would be particularly important for the aquaculture industry where fish are 

 reared under very high stocking densities, offering potential for disease outbreaks. 



The channel catfish industry is the largest aquaculture section in the United States, generating 

 nearly $400 million annually, according to Noga. In North Carolina, the total estimated value of catfish 

 aquaculture in 2001 was more than $4 million, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture & 

 Consumer Services. 



In 2001 , the state's overall aquaculture enterprises were estimated to be worth neariy $21 million, 

 including catfish, trout, hybrid striped bass, tilapia, crawfish, ornamentals and shellfish. 



North Carolina Sea Grant Director Ronald G. Hodson says the study has important implications 

 for the aquaculture industry, aquariums and pet stores. 



"Detecting skin diseases early will allow producers to make adjustments in their culture practices 

 to improve water quality," says Hodson. "This reduces the need for antibiotics or other chemical 

 treatments to improve the health of the fish." — A.G. 



In the Next Issue of Coastwatch 



Celebrate North Carolina Audubon's 1 00th anniversary with Pam's Smith's coastal visit Ann 

 Green explains the history of and physically intense training for Outer Banks beach rescue 

 teams. And T. Edward Nickens shares his adventures working the Intracoastal Waterway. 



2 WINTER 2003 



