Barrow: "I was afraid it was dying" 



Eurasian watermilfoil, known simply as milfoil, 

 has mysteriously appeared and then disappeared in 

 lakes and waterways throughout parts of the United 

 States since the late 1800s when it was accidentally 

 brought into the country from Europe. Researchers 

 believe the plant was transported to Currituck Sound 

 from Chesapeake Bay in the early 1960s. 



Little is known about the plant's effect on wildlife, 

 water quality or other aquatic plants. That's a major 

 reason UNC Sea Grant decided to support a com- 

 prehensive, two-year study of the milfoil in Currituck 

 Sound. 



"Our basic purpose," explains UNC Sea Grant 

 Director B.J. Copeland, "was to find out what role 

 milfoil played in Currituck Sound both ecologically 

 and economically and whether or not control was 

 possible. If it wasn't, then we had to find ways we 

 could learn to live with milfoil." 



The first step was to draw together all the existing 

 information on milfoil. In 1976 a conference was held 

 at the Marine Resources Center on Roanoke Island. 

 Currituck residents, government officials and milfoil 



experts discussed the problems and potentials of 

 milfoil. Recommendations were made as to what Sea 

 Grant's study should focus on in the following years. 



Since then researchers have found: 



—Mowing is too costly to be practical to control 

 milfoil in the entire sound, but regular mowing can 

 be effective to maintain channels; 



—The milfoil has less of an economic impact than 

 some people expected; 



—Milfoil does not seem to be harmful to fish 

 populations; 



—The suitability of milfoil as a breeding habitat 

 for biting flies varies from year to year according to 

 weather conditions. 



Ironically as the researchers put the finishing 

 touches on the study, it appears that milfoil may be 

 taking care of itself. Milfoil growth is down 

 dramatically throughout much of the sound. For the 

 first time in several years the waters in front of 

 Barrow's house are virtually clear of milfoil. 



No one is really sure why the milfoil is disappear- 

 ing. One of the researchers, Graham Davis of East 

 Carolina University, thinks that severe northeasters 

 and heavy rains last year may have made the sound 

 too turbid for the plant to grow. 



"Milfoil is more sensitive than other plants to these 

 conditions," observes Davis. But whether the plant 

 will die out is a question no one can answer. "Milfoil 

 could come back stronger than ever in two or three 

 years. Or it may not come back for another 10 to 15 

 years. Or it may not come back at all," says Davis. 

 "At this stage, it's really anybody's guess." According 

 to Davis milfoil growth may ultimately depend on 

 wind and rain conditions next spring. 



Mowing, harvesting? 



One of the biggest questions about milfoil was 

 whether growth could be effectively and eco- 

 nomically controlled. Earlier studies by the De- 

 partment of Natural and Economic Resources in- 

 dicated that it would be too costly to use large 

 amounts of herbicides, such as 2,4-D, to control the 

 weed throughout the sound. A similar conclusion was 

 drawn from another study by Sea Grant researcher 

 Ernie Knowles on the use of saltwater to control 

 milfoil. 



Underwater mowing was yet another option. The 

 technique had been used in Wisconsin, Ontario and 

 other areas. Sea Grant researcher Graham Davis was 

 anxious to see what effect repeated mowing would 

 have on the regrowth of the milfoil in Currituck 

 Sound. 



During the two-year study, Davis and a team of 

 graduate researchers looked at the effects of mowing 



