RIGHT: Vandenburgh peers into 

 the cage to see if the stone crab 

 escaped by digging a hole. 

 BELOW: Smith retrieves the 

 stone crab from the cage. 



are restricted from all clam kicking. 



In a 1987 study funded by Sea Grant, researchers Pete Peterson, Henry 

 Summerson and Stephen Fegley at the UNC-Chapel Hill Institute of Marine 

 Sciences showed that seagrass beds suffered long-term declines from clam 

 kicking. Because seagrass beds are vital to a number of ecologically and 

 economically valuable species, such losses can have serious consequences 

 for many fisheries. 



Effects of clam kicking on other bottoms are not understood. 

 Vandenburgh explains that clam kicking in sand flats has not been shown to 



cause declines in bottom-dwelling invertebrates or in 

 recruitment of hard clams. The FRG study allows sampling 

 of bottom areas both before and after being kicked. 



Austin says the effects on sandy bottoms may even 

 be beneficial. "I don't think that, on clear open bottom, 

 that kicking clams is harmful to the habitat." 



In fact, he says, "Some old timers say the bottom gets 

 stagnant and needs to be stirred up." He compares the 

 effect to that of strong storms thought to be necessary to 

 the health of the estuary. 



Vandenburgh has drawn no conclusions about the 

 study. The data have not been fully analyzed, she says. 

 But Murphey, who worked on the Hard Clam Fishery Management 

 Plan, says Vandenburgh's work already has been useful to DMF. The 

 abundance of data collected by Vandenburgh helped determine how long to 

 keep areas closed in the rotation plan, Murphey says. 



Austin says many fishermen are hoping to go back to clam kicking 

 when northern Core Sound opens again this winter. He is hopeful that the 

 new rotation plan will work. "I think most fishermen are behind it, because 

 they see that most of Core Sound has been exhausted, and in the southern 

 area of the state, a two-year rotation works well." □ 



EILEEN VANDENBURGH HONORED 



Eileen Vandenburgh was one of four National Estuarine Research 

 Reserve (NERR) fellows to receive the Walter B. Jones Award for 2003. 



The award, authorized under the Coastal Zone Management Act of 

 1972, honors the late North Carolina Congressman Walter B. Jones, Sr., 

 and recognizes "outstanding accomplishments in the field of coastal zone 

 management" — accomplishments that help to balance human use of 

 resources against ecosystem requirements. 



U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones, Jr. presented the Jones Award for Excellence 

 in Coastal and Marine Graduate Study to Vandenburgh. 



As a NERR fellow at the Rachel Carson Research Reserve, 

 Vandenburgh is investigating how clam larval export from Marine Protected 



Areas (MP As) affects recruitment outside of reserves. Her studies may help 

 determine the contribution of MP As to the productivity of fisheries. 



Vandenburgh earned bachelor's degrees in both aquatic biology and 

 anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. 



Currently, she is a doctoral student in ecology at the University of 

 North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City. 

 The program "incorporates both natural and social sciences, " according to 

 Vandenburgh. 



"I plan to use my diverse background and experience to find realistic 

 solutions to fishery management problems by developing a career in marine 

 policy and resource management, " Vandenburgh explains. — CH. 



COASTWATCH 19 



