From the Editor 



Spring Field Trips 



Ah, spring. 



Even though we had hints of warm weather 

 back in January, most of us can't wait for the real 

 thing — getting home before dark, with time to 

 take a walk or work in the yard. 



The warm weather undoubtedly brings plans 

 for an excursion to the coast. When you visit our 

 sandy shores or coastal plain, I hope you'll take 

 time to appreciate the history that surrounds you. 

 This issue of Coastwatch offers perspectives to 

 ponder during your next visit to the Currituck 

 Banks, Beaufort or Edenton. 



T. Edward Nickens takes readers to Old 

 Currituck. He finds Roy Saunders Sr., who at age 

 92 is one of the few people left with memories of 

 the market hunting era that ended in the 1910s. 



Has the Queen Anne 's Revenge, Blackbeard's flagship that ran 

 aground in 17 1 8, been found off Beaufort? Julie Ann Powers takes 

 readers into the realm of underwater archeology and artifact 

 conservation as historians try to document the identity of the ship 

 found in just 20 feet of water. 



A more modem — and environmental — history lesson can 

 be learned by visiting the Chowan River in northeastern North 

 Carolina. Barbara Doll and Renee Wolcott Shannon look back at 

 the cooperative efforts between state water quality regulators, Sea 

 Grant researchers and community volunteers to determine the level 

 — and effect — of nutrients flowing into the river. 



Of course, not all lessons at the coast involve history. The 

 arrival of 600-pound bluefin tuna off Cape Lookout has meant an 

 expansion of the Tag-a-Giant research efforts to gather migration 

 information on these giant fish. 



Herman Link fort I 



Andy Wood teaches thousands of children 

 each year through his role as education curator at 

 the N.C. Aquarium at Fort Fisher. But Wood also 

 finds himself teaching — and at times preaching 

 — environmental lessons to anyone who will 

 listen, as Odile Fredericks shows us. 



Also, Shannon offers a suggested reading list 

 for armchair sailors. And finally, Kathy Hart 

 provides recipes that will bring back memories of 

 your first attempt to pick delicate meat from the 

 shells of blue crabs. 



a a more somber note, the North Carolina 

 Sea Grant family mourns the death of Ruthie 

 Hodson, wife of our director, Ron Hodson. 

 Ron and Ruthie were passengers in a small plane that crashed 

 Jan. 30 in Florida. Ron suffered serious injuries, but he is regaining 

 strength day by day. We hope he will return to the office this spring. 



As a new member of the Sea Grant team, I had felt Ruthie' s 

 welcoming nature. Veteran staff members have coundess stories of 

 her kind and gracious acts, of how her smile could brighten a room. 



A memorial fund has been established in her honor. Contribu- 

 tions may be made to: 



Duke University Fibromyalgia Research 

 Ruth E. Hodson Memorial Fund 

 PO Box 90581 

 Durham, NC 27708 

 Our office has received many calls and e-mails offering support 

 to Ron and his son, Todd. We have shared these messages with 

 Ron, who offers thanks for the outpouring of encouragement from 

 researchers, the aquaculture community, friends and colleagues. □ 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



Contributors 



Writers: 



Barbara Doll D Odile Fredericks Ann Green n Kathy Hart D Katie Mosher 

 T. Edward Nickens D Jeannie Faris Norris D Julie Ann Powers D Renee Wolcott Shannon 



Photographers: 



Jim Bounds D Candice Cusic D Skip Kemp ° Herman Lankford 

 Hans Paerl D Lundie Spence D Scott D. Taylor D Erin Wall 



