Dolphin fish studied 



(Continued from page 1 ) 



But with an ear turned to the clamor for more 

 and different kinds of protein, Dr. W. W. Hassler, 

 North Carolina State University professor of 

 zoology, has spent much of the past four years 

 studying ways to grow the dolphin in captivity. 



Determining conditions ideal for growth re- 

 quires a detailed understanding of the life style, 

 habitat and behavior of the fish. Early work by 

 Hassler revolved around designing underwater 

 pens for the fast-swimming dolphin and deter- 

 mining ideal water temperatures, salinity, light- 

 ing, oxygen requirements and diet. 



Dolphin grow rapidly in nature. Scientists at 

 Florida's Marineland have shown that well-fed 

 dolphin can grow even faster in captivity. In less 

 than eight months, they grew two dolphin from 

 one and one-half pounds to 32 and 37 pounds. In 

 similar work, Hassler and his associates have 

 grown dolphin in pens at the NCSU's Hatteras 

 Marine Laboratory with average weekly weight 

 gains of .86 pounds. 



More recent research has centered on rearing 

 dolphin through the delicate egg and larval stages. 

 Part of the secret to successfully growing dolphin 

 is getting the fish to eat after the three-day-old 

 yolk sac stage when it must begin to feed. Hassler 

 and his research associates have successfully 

 reared dolphin eggs caught in the field through 

 that stage to 35 days at the National Marine Fish- 

 eries Laboratory in Miami and have hatched and 

 reared dolphin eggs and larvae to 85 days at 

 Hatteras. 



Techniques for dolphin culture have progressed 

 to the point where dolphin farming could become 

 a viable industry. 



Recently Hassler's aquaculture studies have 

 included the culture of cobia. He has successfully 

 hatched and reared cobia from egg to three and 

 one-half months under controlled conditions. 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant Program 

 1235 Burlington Laboratories 

 North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh, N. C. 27607 



Conference surveys 

 marine fisheries 



North Carolina's in-shore and off-shore 

 waters harbor a significant fisheries re- 

 source. But information on the state's 

 marine fisheries, vital to industrial de- 

 velopment of the fisheries industry, is 

 needed. 



That was a conclusion reached at a two- 

 day conference on the status of the state's 

 marine fisheries resources held in New 

 Bern in mid-September. The conference 

 brought together representatives of the 

 fishing industry, state and federal agencies 

 and university programs associated with 

 marine resources. 



Information on fishery resources is 

 needed for planning, for monitoring the 

 capital investment in the industry and for 

 predicting the availability of raw materials 

 and its impact on the industry, William H. 

 Stevenson of the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service said in summing up the conference. 

 Current information is adequate for the 

 first stages of planning, he said. But it 

 needs to be organized and structured to be 

 useful to potential investors. 



"It appears to me that the fishing indus- 

 try in North Carolina does have a positive 

 future, does have an opportunity to create 

 a viable continuing economic environment 

 in the coastal area in North Carolina," 

 Stevenson concluded. 



The conference was the first of its kind in 

 North Carolina to deal specifically with 

 marine fisheries and their potential usage. 

 It was sponsored by the NCSU Agri- 

 cultural Extension Service, the N. C. De- 

 partment of Natural and Economic Re- 

 sources and the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service. 



Second-class postage paid i 

 Raleigh, N. C. 27611. 



