Fishing isn't work for all those who ply 

 the sea. Some folks play at fishing. 

 But don't think for a moment that 

 recreational anglers aren't just as 

 serious about bringing home the catch 

 as their commercial counterparts. ■ 

 David Lindquist, Larry Cahoon and lleana 

 Clavijo, biologists at UNC-Wilmington, will 

 take a dive to answer important fish feed- 

 ing questions about artificial and natural 

 offshore reefs— the location of prime fish- 

 ing spots. ■ Commercial landings of 

 reef fish totaled over $4 million last year. 



If fish could let their fins do the dial- 

 ing, no doubt they'd call Ed Noga. He's 

 a fish doctor. ■ A scientist at the 

 NCSU School of Veterinary Medicine, 

 Noga studies the bacteria and diseases 



Sea Grant research into shellfish contamination 

 may mean safer clams for the table 



The dream is an old one, reborn every 

 time ten toes wiggle in the sun-baked 

 sand. The dream is a house so close 

 to the shore that the salt spray wets 

 your lips and the ocean is at your front 

 door. ■ Denis Bailey had the 

 dream. ■ In 1970, the Virginia man 

 and his family built a new home in South 

 Nags Head right on the oceanfront. But 

 the vacation is over. Bailey must move his 

 house. ■ The ocean has come to his 

 front door. ■ Bailey's story is just one 



And the reefs attract hundreds of recrea- 

 tional anglers who add dollars to the 

 coastal economy. ■ Since 1986, the 

 state has sunk $500,000 into enhancing or 

 constructing 20 artificial reefs. ■ Lind- 

 quist, Cahoon and Clavijo plan to dive on 

 natural and artificial reefs to learn more 

 about the food sources of the fish they 

 attract. The scientists believe that the 

 ocean's soft bottom areas may be as 

 important as the hard reef substrate in pro- 

 viding a fish's next meal. ■ Say a 



that afflict our underwater friends. Last 

 year, Noga succeeded in culturing a 

 disease-causing parasite in the laboratory. 

 It was a first. ■ Now, Noga will try to 

 find out what natural factors— temperature, 



Oysters and clams carry diseases of a 

 different nature— human bacteria and 

 viruses. ■ As filter feeders, oysters 

 pass eight gallons of water through their 

 systems each hour. And if the water is 

 polluted with harmful bacteria and viruses, 

 the oysters become contaminated, too. ■ 

 In his UNC laboratory, Mark Sobsey will 

 search for new ways to detect harmful 

 human viruses in shellfish and their sur- 

 rounding habitats. In his past project, 

 Sobsey determined that present bacteria 

 indicators were inadequate. ■ A 

 method is needed to separate human and 

 animal fecal contamination. The result may 

 mean less areas are closed due to contam- 



coastal p 



of many associated with a severely erod- 

 ing stretch of shore from Oregon Inlet to 

 Whalebone Junction. In some places, up 

 to 50 feet of beach per year have been 

 chewed up and swallowed by the sea. ■ 

 Normal erosion rates near inlets range 

 from two to 18 feet per year, says Spencer 

 Rogers, Sea Grant's coastal engineer. ■ 

 But this is something different. This area or 

 "feature" of high erosion appears to be 

 moving north from Oregon Inlet at a rate 

 of 800 to 1 ,000 feet per year. ■ Rogers 



weekend angler wants to fish a particular 

 artificial reef. How does he find out the 

 reef's location? That's what Rick Perdue 

 wants to know. ■ Perdue, a researcher 

 in the NCSU Recreational Resources 

 Department, would like to find out how 

 anglers receive, use and relay information 

 about recreational fishing. ■ Under- 

 standing the communications network will 

 help resource managers who need to tell 

 anglers about regulation changes and 

 educate them about alternative species. 



pH, salinity or minerals— will kill the 

 parasite without damaging its fishy host. 

 The information could be useful for pond- 

 raised fish where disease can spell 

 disaster. 



ination and that safer shellfish will reach our 

 tables. ■ In a sister project at UNC- 

 Wilmington, Ron Sizemore will develop a 

 way to track human waste contamination to 

 its source. ■ Every time a human 

 passes waste from his body, he emits bil- 

 lions of bacteria. These bacteria carry 

 extrachromosomal particles called plas- 

 mids. These plasmids make one person's 

 bacteria different from another's, and 

 human bacteria different from animal 

 bacteria. ■ By isolating the bacteria 

 and taking water samples, Sizemore may 

 be able to accurately pinpoint sources 

 of pollution. 



rocesses 



believes this mobile monster is the result of 

 eight hurricanes and the Ash Wednesday 

 northeaster that widened Oregon Inlet 

 more than 4,500 feet between 1950 and 

 1963. Afterward, the inlet began to fill in— 

 with sand from the adjacent beach. ■ 

 Aerial photographs document the erosion, 

 but not enough of them have been ex- 

 amined to prove that a feature exists. ■ 

 So Rogers and John Fisher, an NCSU civil 

 engineer, will compare more photographs 

 of the nine-mile stretch. With this, they can 



