North Carolina $tate Library 

 Raleigh 



N. C. 

 DOC. 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant Program 



NEWSLETTER 



NOVEMBER, 1974 



Getting set 

 to farm 

 the oceans 



Imagine producing 20,000 pounds of meat in one 

 acre in a single year. Some farmers in the south- 

 eastern part of the United States average that. But 

 they aren't your typical farmer. Their crop is cat- 

 fish. And their method is aquaculture, loosely de- 

 fined as fish farming. 



In spite of success in catfish farming, the culture 

 of fish, shellfish and other organisms that live in 

 coastal or ocean waters is plagued with problems 

 and a general lack of knowledge. Even though 

 aquaculture is centuries old in some parts of the 

 world, it is an art that remains riddled with ques- 

 tions. Yet, in a world hungering for animal pro- 

 tein, the development of marine aquaculture, or 

 mariculture, could make substantial strides toward 

 bolstering protein supplies. 



Sea Grant is one of many government and pri- 

 vate organizations across the nation working to 

 make farming the sea profitable. Studies are un- 

 derway to determine the specific nutritional and 

 environmental needs of different types of organ- 

 isms as they grow from egg to adult. Scientists are 

 also seeking to develop through cross breeding 

 fish and shellfish that grow fast and big without 

 too much trouble. 



North Carolina's coastal waters are still teeming 

 with shrimp, crab and good-tasting fish. Looking 

 to the future when these organisms may become 

 scarce and demand will be greater, UNC Sea Grant 

 scientists are grappling with two of aquaculture's 

 basic problems — techniques for rearing various 

 species under controlled conditions and disease. 



1235 Burlington Laboratories 

 NCSU, Raleigh, N. C. 27607 Tel: (919) 7S7-2U5U 



Finding ways to grow 

 the dolphin fish 



It's no secret that aquaculture, compared to its 

 sophisticated sister, agriculture, lags behind. A 

 century ago, scientists began determining the best 

 soils, fertilizers, environmental conditions and 

 planting techniques for growing corn and other 

 crops. Before aquaculture can be successful, re- 

 searchers must determine environmental and 

 nutritional requirements for rearing fish and shell- 

 fish in enclosed tanks and ponds. 



UNC Sea Grant has supported research aimed at 

 learning what conditions are crucial to successful 

 fish culture. Studies have focused on the dolphin 

 fish, a fish not to be mistaken for the porpoise, 

 and the American eel, a delicacy on European and 

 Asian tables with export potential. 



For years, anglers have hauled in dolphin off 

 North Carolina's coast. And even though folks in 

 Hawaii refer to dolphin as mahi mahi and consider 

 it a delicacy, demand for the fish has been small 

 elsewhere. Fishing for dolphin has generally not 

 been economically worthwhile. 



(See "Dolphin," page U) 



