Nowhere is the power of nature more evident than 

 at the edge of the ocean, where the dramatic forces of 

 wind and water often play havoc with man's con- 

 struction. Many North Carolinians have experienced 

 the blows of erosion and storm damage. 



Ever since it got underway in North Carolina, Sea 

 Grant has worked at helping coastal residents deal 

 with the problems of erosion and storm damage. Last 

 year, for instance, three NCSU scientists, Ernie 

 Seneca, Steve Broome and Ernie Knowles, came up 

 with some simple ways of retarding shoreline ero- 

 sion. They successfully slowed erosion in several 

 areas of the state by planting economical and attrac- 

 tive marsh grass. This year they will gather data 

 from gauges installed at several eroding sites to 

 measure wave forces. That information will help to 

 set up guidelines for determining where grass 

 plantings might be successful. 



Some of the most devastating damage to property 

 can be attributed to ocean overwash. Overwash oc- 

 curs when high walls of water breach the sand dunes 

 and invade coastal land. Paul Hosier and Bill Cleary 

 of UNC at Wilmington began a Sea Grant project last 

 year which indicates that certain areas of the coast 

 are more vulnerable to overwash than others. This 

 year they will publish a series of maps delineating 

 the history of overwash from Cape Lookout to Cape 

 Fear since 1938. They're also developing a survey 

 technique which will enable a trained person to offer 

 an analysis of overwash hazards to prospective 

 builders. 



Sea Grant is sponsoring one new project which 

 should help coastal residents make wise decisions 

 about construction on the coast. Jerry Machemehl of 



NCSU will determine which areas of the coast are 

 most likely to be hit by storms. He'll take a hard look 

 at the types of structures now used in those areas and 

 decide the risk to life and property. All of this infor- 

 mation will go onto maps of hazard zones. 

 Machemehl plans to recommend improved building 

 practices for new state building codes. 



Disposal of human wastes is a special problem in 

 areas immediately adjacent to the ocean. The land is 

 already overtaxed by septic tank systems. As more 

 tourists flock to the beaches, the problem is likely to 

 become more acute. One possible alternative to the 

 present inadequate septic systems is ocean disposal 

 of wastes through an ocean outfall system. But we 

 need to know what the costs of that solution will be- 

 both financial and environmental. Yates Sorrell of 

 NCSU will continue his efforts to work out a method 

 which engineers can use to evaluate outfall designs 

 for the North Carolina coast. Sorrell's work is part of 

 a larger study on ocean outfalls being funded by the 

 state of North Carolina. 



Increased development on the coast of North 

 Carolina brings other kinds of pressures, too. It 

 forces coastal governments to plan for the kind of 

 growth they want in the future. Under the 1974 

 Coastal Area Management Act, all coastal counties 

 are required to draw up land use plans. David Brower 

 of UNC at Chapel Hill believes that this type of deci- 

 sion is especially rough for the largely rural and 

 coastal sections of the state. Many of these areas have 

 small permanent populations and limited fiscal and 

 staff resources. This year Brower will draw up 

 guidelines designed to make the job easier for elected 

 officials and land planners in these regions. 



ft© m©M@ww 



(Continued from page 2) 



plants are a far cry from the run-down shacks of ten 

 years ago. But despite these improvements, 

 pathogenic bacteria are still present in some 

 products. And they pose some real public health 

 hazards. According to NCSU researcher Marvin 

 Speck, much of the problem lies with inadequate 

 detection methods. Because these bacteria go un- 

 detected, little is done to improve or correct the condi- 

 tions which cause the contamination in the first 

 place. This year Speck will continue to work with in- 

 dividual seafood processing plants to help pinpoint 

 sources of contamination. And he'll be refining 

 methods he has developed to improve detection of 

 harmful bacteria and enhance the overall shelf-life of 

 certain products. 



According to researcher Donald Kapraun of UNC 

 at Wilmington, stalking the wild nori is not such a 

 far-fetched idea. Nori is a lettuce-like marine algae 

 found along the southeastern coast of North 

 Carolina. A similar species is cultured, harvested and 

 eaten in large quantities in Japan. Its high mineral, 

 protein and vitamin content make it a particularly at- 

 tractive diet supplement. While it is not currently 

 popular in the U.S., some researchers believe it could 

 be. This year Kapraun will be trying to assess nori 

 populations in North Carolina coastal waters to 

 determine whether commercial harvest of the plant 

 is feasible. 



Understanding North Carolina's fishery resources 

 and planning for their use do not always involve the 

 traditional sciences. An understanding of those peo- 

 ple for whom fishing and the ocean is a way of life 

 can provide some valuable insights into how these 

 resources should be managed. This year marks an im- 

 portant new direction for Sea Grant. James Sabella 



of UNC at Wilmington is launching a study of the 

 sociocultural organization of a North Carolina fishing 

 community, Harker's Island. In a nutshell, Sabella 

 and his associates will be examining the life styles of 

 Harker's Island inhabitants— their ancestries, their 

 attitudes and values, their work styles, their social 

 organizations, their levels of education and income, 

 and their attitude toward resource management. The 

 results of this study are expected to fill an important 

 void in our understanding of the North Carolina 

 coast. 



Our most recent annual report outlines ad- 

 vances made by Sea Grant researchers and 

 advisory agents during the 1976 year. If you'd 

 like to receive a free copy of the report or be 

 added to our newsletter mailing list, just fill 

 in the form below and return it to: Sea Grant, 

 Box 5001, Raleigh, N.C. 27650. 



Name: 



Address: 



Please send me your: 



Annual Report Newsletter 



The University of North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Newsletter is published 10 months a year by the Univer- 

 sity of North Carolina Sra < Irani College Program, 105 

 1911 Building, North Carolina State University. 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27650. Vol. 5, No. 1, January 1978. Dr. B. J. 

 Copeland, director. Written and edited by Mary Day 

 Murdecai and Virginia Worthington. Second-class 

 postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 27611. 



University of North Carolina 

 Sea Grant College Program 

 105 1911 Building 

 North Carolina State University 

 Raleigh. N.C. 27650 



