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University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant Program 



NEWSLETTER 



July, 1975 



1235 Burlington Laboratories 

 NCSU, Raleigh, N. C. 27607 Tel: (919) 737-21+5U 



Marsh: 



There's more there 

 than meets the eye 



This drawing shows the exchange of energy between the 

 marsh and estuarine waters. Marsh grasses capture the 

 sun's energy. As they die, energy-filled, decaying grass 

 particles wash into nearby waters where fish feed on them. 

 Fish and other sea animals store the energy until men eat 

 them or until they die and decay. When they die, nutrients 

 from their bodies fertilize the marsh, making it a rich en- 

 vironment for grasses. 



Next time you're making a beeline for one of 

 North Carolina's beaches, put your imagination to 

 work. 



Don't think of those acres of grassy marsh and 

 glistening waters you pass as simply more grass 

 and more water. Instead, picture them as a great 

 pastureland where your favorite seafoods grow 

 lush on a bountiful supply of nutrients. 



Unlike the green meadows you passed where 

 cows grazed leisurely on clover and fescue, the 

 marshy pasture still poses a mystery for scientists. 

 But one thing that most are convinced of is that 

 marsh grasses are a source of life-giving nutrients 

 for fish and shellfish, and eventually for you. 



Researchers believe that for at least part of their 

 life cycles, flounder, shrimp, oysters, croakers, spot 

 and dozens of other fish grow to adults on a diet 

 of nutrients that originate with grasses in the 

 marsh and shallow estuarine waters. Those grasses 

 are apparently the first link in a complex cycle 

 that turns the sun's energy into foods that animals 

 — and men — can use to fuel their bodies. 



Scientists generally believe that the productivity 

 of marsh grasses has a direct effect on the pro- 

 ductivity of fish in estuarine waters. 



Jim Brown of the Division of Marine Fisheries, 

 a part of the state's Department of Natural and 

 Economic Resources, is convinced that the fishery 

 is directly related to the amount of marsh. North 

 Carolina's coastline and fisheries catch illustrate 

 his point, he says. 



As the amount of marsh acreage increases from 

 north to south along the state's coastline, so does 

 the value per acre of the fishery resource, Brown 

 noted. As further evidence, he cited a study that 

 showed a decrease in fish production proportional 

 to the destruction of marsh in a Florida estuarine 

 area. 



A simple explanation of how nutrients from 

 marsh and seagrasses work their way to fish goes 

 like this. Grasses grow tall and stout in their fertile 

 environment. When they die, the grasses crumble 

 into tiny particles which scientists call detritus. 

 Bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms feed on 



(See "Energy," page 3) 



