THE BACK PAGE 



"The Back Page" is an update on Sea 

 Grant activities — on research, marine 

 education and advisory services. It's 

 also a good place to find out about 

 meetings, workshops and new publi- 

 cations. For more information on any 

 of the projects described, contact the 

 Sea Grant offices in Raleigh (919/737- 

 2454). For copies of publications, 

 write UNC Sea Grant, NCSU, Box 

 8605, Raleigh, N.C. 27695-8605. 



In the September 

 Coastwatch, we told you 

 about Sea Grant agent 

 Jim Bahen's efforts to 

 work with a netmaker to 

 develop an inexpensive 

 turtle excluder device or 

 TED. Come May 1, federal regula- 

 tions will require shrimp trawlers 25 

 feet in length or longer to use TEDs in 

 offshore waters in North Carolina. The 

 devices are designed to exclude en- 

 dangered sea turtles from nets. 



So far, the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service has certified five types of 

 excluder devices. The structures vary 

 from aluminum boxes to deflector grids 

 to web screens. The web screens are 

 called "soft" TEDs. 



Bahen's new TED is of the soft vari- 

 ety. Nicknamed the "Parrish" TED 

 after inventor Steve Parrish of Supply, 

 this excluder device awaits final 

 approval by NMFS. 



In October, it passed field tests. The 

 Parrish TED barred all sea turtles from 

 the shrimp net's tailbag. 



The Parrish TED, made of 8-inch 

 webbing, deflects turtles downward 

 through a 40-inch hole in the bottom of 

 the net. The opening is held rigid by a 

 rectanglar bar and closed with an elas- 

 tic chord. 



But pressure from a large object 

 such as a turtle will cause the opening 

 to gap and allow the turtle to escape. 



The Parrish TED is sewn into the net 

 between the main body and the tail- 

 bag. Bahen says it is easy to install and 

 costs $80 to $100. 



For further information about the 

 Parrish TED, call Bahen at 919/ 

 458-5498. 



The N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries has 

 $73,200 that it plans to 

 use to help North Caro- 

 lina fishermen buy 

 TEDs. Details of the 

 DMF's TED Purchase 

 Program will be presented in a series 

 of six public meetings held along the 

 North Carolina coast the last week of 

 February. The meetings will be co- 

 sponsored by Sea Grant. 



At the meetings, Sea Grant agent Jim 

 Bahen will present information about 

 and show models of the different kinds 

 of TEDs, provide hand-outs and sum- 

 marize their performances. A DMF 

 representative will outline the purchase 

 project — how to apply and receive 

 money for buying a certified TED. 



The meeting schedule is as follows: 

 Monday, Feb. 22, 7-8:30 p.m., Bruns- 

 wick County Agricultural Extension 

 office, Bolivia; Tuesday, Feb. 23, 8:30- 

 10 a.m., New Hanover County Agri- 

 cultural Extension office, Wilmington; 

 Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7-8:30 p.m., 

 Sneads Ferry Volunteer Fire Depart- 

 ment, Sneads Ferry; Thursday, Feb. 

 25, 7-8:30 p.m., N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries, Morehead City; Fri- 

 day, Feb. 26, 7-8:30 p.m., Pamlico 

 County Agricultural Extension office, 

 Bayboro; Saturday, Feb. 27, 9:30-11 

 a.m., Hyde County Agricultural Ex- 

 tension office, Swan Quarter. 



The money will be available to 

 fishermen in early March. It comes 

 from the N.C. Department of Com- 

 merce's Energy Division. It was dis- 

 tributed to the state by the federal 

 government for use in energy effi- 

 ciency projects. The money had been 

 collected from oil companies that were 

 penalized for overcharging consumers 

 in the 1970s. 



TEDs increase energy efficiency by 

 reducing the drag on nets created by 

 turtles and other bycatch. 



For more information about the meet- 

 ings, contact Bahen at 919/458-5498. 



The N.C. Commercial Fishing 

 Show is making waves as one of the 

 biggest boat and gear shows in the 



Southeast. The seventh annual show 

 promises to be no exception. 



March 11 to 13, boat dealers and 

 marine manufacturers will display 

 their lines at the Crystal Coast Civic 

 Center in Morehead City. Bepresenta- 

 tives will show the latest in fishing 

 boats, nets, motors, traps, pots, engines 

 and accessory gear. 



And seminars will be offered on 

 commercial fishing topics. 



The show is cosponsored by UNC 

 Sea Grant and the Carteret County 

 Waterman's Association. Merchants 

 interested in participating should call 

 Sea Grant agent Bob Hines at 919/ 

 247-4007. 



The winter months 

 may be too cold for sun- 

 bathing at the beach, but 

 they're just right for plant- 

 ing. If you're a coastal 

 property owner, this is 

 the time to protect your 

 investment with beachgrasses, shrubs 

 and ground cover. 



And Sea Grant has several guides 

 that can help you. 



Seacoast Plants of the Carolinas for 

 Conservation and Beautification is a 

 general guide on the use of plants for 

 landscaping and stabilizing coastal 

 soils. It contains illustrated descrip- 

 tions of over 100 plants that are native 

 to the North Carolina coast. Ask for 

 UNC-SG-73-06. The cost is $4.50. 



Building and Stabilizing Coastal 

 Dunes with Vegetation provides in- 

 structions on transplanting, fertilizing 

 and maintaining dune grasses with 

 detailed information on species. Ask 

 for UNC-SG-82-05. The cost is $1.50. 



Planting Marsh Grasses for Erosion 

 Control provides a guide to transplant- 

 ing, fertilizing and maintaining marsh 

 grasses for estuarine erosion control. 

 Ask for UNC-SG-81-09. The cost is 

 $1.50. 



Bemember, coastal property is dy- 

 namic. A few dollars for these books 

 and the plants recommended will be 

 worth it if it helps keep those sandy 

 soils from sifting away. 



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