Seafood agents 



Upgrading North Carolina's industry 



Until just a few years ago, the most sophisticated 

 fish processing house in North Carolina did nothing 

 more than ice and box fresh fish in the round. For the 

 most part these simple operations were conducted in 

 ramshackle wooden buildings. 



The North Carolina seafood industry has come a 

 long way since then. Now there are at least ten plants 

 on the coast where fish filleting is routine. That 

 means more jobs for residents and more money for 

 processors. And the work is done in modernized 

 plants with refrigerator rooms and concrete floors. 



Sea Grant has been part of that change. At the 

 Seafood Lab in Morehead City, Sea Grant agents and 

 specialists have consistently explored new technology 

 for marketing and processing that they can pass on to 

 the seafood industry. The staff at the Seafood Lab 

 already has quite a track record for helping the in- 

 dustry. Agent Dave Hill has helped processors to 

 make multi-million dollar design changes in their 

 plants which mean more efficient, sanitary service. 

 At the same time, agent Joyce Taylor has worked to 

 amass an extensive seafood information center, full 

 of technological information for fishermen and 

 processors. 



Packaging seafoods 



The folks at the Seafood Lab have also done exten- 

 sive work on packaging techniques that may help in 

 the marketing of seafood. Vacuum packaging and 

 family-size packages of frozen seafood for tourists 

 are just two ideas that have caught on with the 

 state's processors and retailers. 



Sometimes it's necessary to back up advisory ser- 

 vices work with scientific experiments. The staff of 

 the Seafood Lab has worked hand in hand with scien- 

 tists at the Food Science Department of N.C. State 

 University to develop some new products that put to 

 use trash or underutilized fish. They hope that the 

 developments will eventually mean more profit for 

 fishermen and processors and high protein, low fat 

 products for consumers. So far, most of the products 

 they have developed are based on croaker - a fish that 

 is caught in abundance off our coast but traditionally 

 brings a low price for fishermen. On the new product 

 list are fish luncheon loaf, sea pups (fish hot dogs), 

 fish spread and fish jerky. 



Decreasing bacteria 



This year the folks at the Seafood Lab will be work- 

 ing hard to improve sanitation on commercial fishing 

 boats and in processing plants. They will be trying to 

 find inexpensive ways of reducing bacterial' levels. 

 They'll also be helping fish processors to bring their 

 plants in line with new federal regulations on dis- 

 charge of wastes. 



There's another unique project that Sea Grant is 

 sponsoring this year. Steve Otwell of the Food 



Science Department at NCSU and advisory agent 

 Skipper Crow will be trying to find a solution to an 

 old problem that nags fishermen: skates and rays. 

 These creatures are notorious for tearing up fisher- 

 men's nets and for destroying shellfish beds. Crow 

 and Otwell will be working with the staff of the N.C. 

 Division of Marine Fisheries and a group of fisher- 

 men to see if it's feasible to catch and sell skates and 

 rays for food. In Europe, they're considered 

 delicacies. 



Joyce Taylor and Dave Hill will be joined by a new 

 specialist at the Seafood Lab in Morehead City early 

 in 1978. They'll all be glad to answer questions 

 anytime. Give them a call at (919/726-7341). 



Carolina Sea Grant College 

 monthly except October by the 

 Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Iding. North Carolina State Uni- 

 27650. Vol. 4, No. 11, December, 

 director. Written and edited by 

 il Virginia Worthington. Second- 

 ' ' N.C. 27611. 



Recreation is big business along the North Carolina 

 coast. The state's unique system of barrier islands, 

 coastal wetlands, sandy beaches and expansive 

 sounds brings thousands of visitors to its shores every 

 year. Today, coastal recreation is one of the fastest 

 growing industries in North Carolina. 



While such growth can provide a healthy boost to 

 the state's economy, it can also pose some serious 

 management problems. And that's where Sea Grant 

 specialist Leon Abbas and agent Dennis Regan enter 

 the picture. Both are trained in recreation manage- 

 ment. Both want to make sure that recreational 

 development along the North Carolina coast doesn't 

 follow the same thorny path it has in other, more 

 developed states. In essence, they want to help the 

 state maximize its recreational use of the coast, while 

 minimizing the damages these uses can have on a 

 highly sensitive system. 



If that sounds like a mouthful that's because it is. 

 "Marine recreation is a function of the natural 

 resource, in this case, the coastal zone" observes 

 Abbas. As a result, there is enormous potential for 

 competition and conflict between uses. According to 

 Regan, the coastal zone is like any other natural 

 resource. If too many demands are placed on it, then 

 the result is over-use and eventual abuse. 



Abbas and Regan hope to avoid some of the mis- 

 takes made by other states in their coastal develop- 

 ment. For one thing, they're spending a lot of time 

 learning about the marine recreation industry of 

 North Carolina and the unique needs of its suppliers 

 and users. 



Recreation 



An economist by training, Abbas is interested in 

 the economic profile of the recreation industry. He 

 has just completed a descriptive survey of all the 

 coastal marinas in the state and is beginning work on 

 a similar study of the charter boat industry. 

 This spring, Abbas has lined up a series of 

 recreational lectures that are guaranteed to whet 

 anyone's appetite for a visit to the coast. They include 

 such topics as birdwatching, sailing and salt water 

 fishing. 



Regan is the most recent addition to the Sea Grant 

 advisory team. His focus is on recreation and the 

 many unexplored opportunities that can be found in 

 the coastal zone. For example, he's working with 

 community residents in planning a bicycle trail along 

 the Outer Banks. And he's developing a directory of 

 SCUBA diving sites in North Carolina, studying the 

 financial feasibility of dry stack boat storage and lay- 

 ing the groundwork for a boating safety and naviga- 

 tion workshop in the spring. 



When they're not busy planning a workshop or con- 

 ducting a survey, Abbas and Regan are hard at work 

 preparing recreational guides to the North Carolina 

 coast. Two guides are already in the works: a series of 

 sports fishing maps and a seasonal weather guide. 



Like the entire Sea Grant team, Abbas and Regan 

 are interested in people. They're happy to answer any 

 questions you might have. And if you have an idea 

 about coastal recreation, give them a call. They're ex- 

 cellent sounding boards. Abbas is located at the Sea 

 Grant office in Raleigh (919/737-2454) and Regan is 

 headquartered at the Marine Resources Center in 

 Manteo (919/473-3937). 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant College Program 

 105 1911 Building 

 North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27607 



