than 55 percent of those interviewed were negative 

 about the milfoil. Another 37 percent were positive, 

 while 12 percent had no opinion. The majority, 70 per- 

 cent, felt that something should be done about the 

 milfoil, ranging from total elimination to only limited 

 control. 



Of the 44 businesses surveyed, 41 percent of the 

 owners felt that the milfoil had no particular effect 

 on their businesses. Twenty percent said the milfoil 

 had a negative effect and 39 percent felt it had a 

 positive effect. 



Abbas warns that responses are never black or 

 white in an attitude survey. But the surveys do quan- 

 tify the importance of Currituck Sound to the area's 

 economy. And they say something about attitudes 

 toward "milfoil. "It's data that suggests that 'the 

 milfoil problem' isn't as serious as some people think 

 it is," says Abbas. "There just isn't the ground swell 

 of 'let's-get-rid-of-the-milfoil,'" he adds. 



A question of bugs 



Every summer for the past seven years, Norma 

 Caroon has gone to battle with the milfoil that has 

 piled up along the shore in front of her house. Pushed 

 there by strong easterly winds, the milfoil has been 

 held in place by the bulkheads lining her sound-front 

 property. Within days the thick plants would begin to 

 decompose and fill the air with a putrid stench. 



Like her neighbor, L. C. Barrow, Mrs. Caroon was 

 getting tired of fighting milfoil. "We haven't enjoyed 

 the water sports as much as we used to," she said. 

 But there were more serious problems that bothered 

 her. Could the thick, rotting mats of milfoil provide a 

 breeding ground for disease-carrying insects? 



According to North Carolina State University en- 

 tomologist Richard Axtell reports of increased biting 

 fly activity around the milfoil made sense. Studies 

 along the Gulf Coast had already proven that ac- 

 cumulations of shoreline vegetation were good 

 breeding spots for Stumta-i/H or stable flies. He and 

 extension specialist Charles Apperson suspected that 

 a similar problem might exist with biting fly develop- 

 ment in milfoil along Currituck Sound. With Sea 

 Grant funds the researchers set out to see if it did. 



Special traps were used to sample both adult and 

 emerging larval insects. Floating mats of milfoil were 

 checked regularly for insect activity. Fresh milfoil 

 was collected and stacked at test plots to see what ef- 

 fect milfoil at different stages of decomposition had 

 on insect breeding. 



After nearly six months of monitoring the scien- 

 tists failed to find significant levels of insect breeding 

 in the milfoil. Axtell admits that he was surprised by 

 the results. But he adds, "We definitely feel the 



Emergence trap used in milfoil study 



potential is there for the vegetation to be a breeding 

 area under the right weather conditions." 



During the study period strong waves and high 

 tides frequently inundated shoreline accumulations 

 of the milfoil. Axtell suspects that many of the larval 

 insects developing in the milfoil may have been 

 drowned or washed into the sound. As a result, the 

 researchers believe that the suitability of milfoil as a 

 breeding habitat and producer of biting flies varies 

 from year to year according to weather conditions. 



The University of North Carolir.it Sea Grant College 

 Newsletter is published monthly except July and 

 December by the University of North Carolina Sea 

 Grant College Program, 105 1911 Building, North 

 Carolina State University. Raleigh, N.C. 27650, Vol. 5, 

 No. 10, November, 1978. Dr. B. J. Copeland, director. 

 WMi ten anil e.liteil hy Karen .lurevnsen. Mary Day Mor- 

 decai and Virginia Worthingten Secund-class postage 

 paid at Raleigh, N.C. 27611. 



Off the presses 



Here's an update on recent UNC Sea Grant publica- 

 tions. Residents of North Carolina may receive single 

 copies free of charge. Prices for non-residents are 

 listed in parentheses. Please include the publication 

 number(s) with your request. Checks made payable 

 to UNC Sea Grant should accompany orders. Write: 

 UNC Sea Grant, Box 5001, Raleigh, N.C. 27650. 



A look at Sea Grant in North Carolina 1977 



A report on the activities of UNC Sea Grant in 

 1977. 



by Mary Day Mordecai 

 (no charge) 



An annotated bibliography on mechanically 

 separated finfish and Crustacea meats 



by Freda Ramev 

 TJNC-SG-77-17 ($0.75) 



Access to the nation's beaches: legal and planning 

 perspectives 



An examination of the issues facing public access 



to beaches. 



by David Brower 



UNC-SG-77-18 ($3.00) 



A feeding tray for use in eel farming 



Details on the design and construction of an eel 

 feeding tray. 



by William Rickards, John Foster, Walter Jones 

 UNC-SG-78-04 (no charge) 



Bringing the catch home 



A guide to preserving and preparing fresh fish 

 caught or purchased on the coast. 

 UNC-SG-78-05 (no charge) 



Nesting habits and breeding populations of the 

 least tern in North Carolina 



by Leon Jernigan, Robert Soots, James Parnell, 

 Thomas Quay 

 UNC-SG-78-07 ($1.75) 



Minced fish: it's production and use 



Introduction to the technology of minced fish and 

 product applications, 

 by Tyre Lanier, Frank Thomas 

 UNC-SG-78-08 ($1.50) 



North Carolina marine education manual 



Multi-disciplinary curriculum guide on marine 

 topics for grades four through nine. 

 UNC-SG-78-14A Unit I— Coastal Geology ($1.50) 

 UNC-SG-78-14B Unit II— Saltwater ($1.50) 

 UNC-SG-78-14C Unit Ill-Coastal Ecology (in 

 press) 



UNC-SG-78-14D Unit IV— Appendices ($1.00) 



Oops... 



In the May issue of the Sea Grant College 

 Neirsletter it was incorrectly reported that the 

 United States Coast Guard was considering 

 buying back outmoded LORAN-A systems that 

 couldn't be converted to the new LORAN-C 

 system of navigation. The recommendation was 

 just one of several made to the Coast Guard. It 

 was immediately rejected by the Coast Guard as 

 being too expensive and difficult to administer. 



