Dr. B. J. Copeland 



Dr. Copeland has served as direc- 

 tor of the UNC Sea Grant Program 

 since July, 1973. As director, he sees 

 that individual research, extension 

 and education projects remain di- 

 rected toward the program's goals of 

 increasing and improving the use of 

 coastal and marine resources in a 

 wise manner. 



Preparing for UNC Sea Grant's fifth year 



The University of North Carolina has prepared a proposal to the Office of 

 Sea Grant for the fifth year of institutional Sea Grant support. We have 

 prepared a program proposal containing 25 projects, consisting of research 

 in a wide spectrum of coastal resources, aquaculture, seafood science and 

 technology, legal, socio-economic, coastal zone and estuarine studies and 

 advisory services. 



Our proposed program is in response to a wide variety of needs for 

 understanding, managing, and conserving North Carolina's coastal re- 

 sources. Heretofore, we have concentrated our efforts in commercial fishing, 

 seafood science and technology and estuarine studies, but we want to add 

 new areas of research and advisory services. With the recent passage of the 

 N. C. Coastal Area Management Act, we are proposing to develop research 

 in the areas of coastal zone studies and legal and socio-economic studies. 

 These two new areas of research reflect the need to combine engineering, 

 economic, sociological, legal and ecological research and advisory services 

 to assist in the proper and expeditious implementation of coastal zone 

 management. 



In developing our University Sea Grant Program for the next two years, 

 we have followed a complex sequence of activities. It all started during the 

 winter when we arranged with state agency directors to determine areas 

 where their needs and our expertise could come together. These findings 

 were balanced with feedback from "users" through advisory groups and 

 planning groups. The next step consisted of discussing these needs with and 

 obtaining suggestions from University research, education and extension 

 groups at the four campuses involved in the Sea Grant Program. From these 

 inputs a program of action was constructed. 



Finally, after individual proposals had been received they were evaluated 

 by a special review board, the University Marine Science Council, N. C. 

 Marine Science Council and relevant state agencies. Based on review 

 results, 25 of the 44 proposals submitted were selected to best reflect the 

 Sea Grant Program and constitute our institutional proposal. The final 

 step will be taken in October when a team of experts from the Office of 

 Sea Grant will visit North Carolina to review and discuss the program and 

 recommend funding for the approved projects. 



The University of North Carolina Sea Grant Program Newsletter is 

 published monthly by the University of North Carolina Sea Grant Program, 

 1235 Burlington Laboratories, Yarborough Drive, North Carolina State 

 University, Raleigh, N. C. 27607. Vol. 1, No. 4, August, 1974. Dr. B. J 

 Copeland, director. Dixie Berg, editor. Second-class postage paid at 

 Raleigh, N. C. 27611 



Studies in N.C.'s 

 coastal zone 



North Carolina's Outer Banks and 

 coastal areas are undergoing rapid 

 development. Sea Grant is proposing 

 projects aimed at helping manage 

 growing pressures on the coastal 

 environment. 



One project is seeking support to 

 study currents and the forces and 

 energy generated by waves and cur- 

 rents in Onslow Bay, an area from 

 Cape Lookout south to Cape Fear. 

 This study could lead to a model for 

 pinpointing good places for waste 

 outfalls, deep-sea ports and predict- 

 ing rates of beach erosion and inlet 

 stability. 



Scientists are also proposing to 

 continue their research to stabilize 

 dunes and dredge spoil with vege- 

 tation. Another has proposed to 

 further develop ecologically sound 

 ways to control mosquitoes and bit- 

 ing flies in coastal areas. And a geol- 

 ogist is proposing a study to deter- 

 mine the rate at which shorelines 

 on the Sound side of the barrier 

 islands are moving each year. 



Learning more 

 about estuaries 



North Carolina's estuarine areas 

 furnish habitat for wildlife, particu- 

 larly waterbirds, and offer nutrients 

 essential to the production of many 

 species of fish and shellfish. Sea 

 Grant is seeking to learn more about 

 estuarine resources and their proper 

 management. 



In one project, a biologist is seek- 

 ing support to determine how many 

 waterbirds nest on North Carolina's 

 hundreds of dredge islands. He also 

 plans to evaluate how physical 

 changes on the islands affect bird 

 populations. A coastal atlas showing 

 where bird colonies breed and indi- 

 cating the relationship of each 

 species to its habitat is part of the 

 proposal. 



In two other studies, scientists 

 are proposing to determine how 

 much marsh grasses are worth to 

 the nourishment of shrimp and other 

 fishery species. These studies pro- 

 vide useful information to planners 

 making decisions on whether the 

 costs to the fisheries industry would 

 be too great to justify draining and 

 filling marsh for development. 



