COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Fishery Resource Projects Selected 



Sixteen new projects — ranging 

 from studies of blue crab and eel health to 

 efforts to improve the safety and shelf life 

 of fish fillets — have been approved for 

 funding through the state's Fishery 

 Resource Grant Program. 



The projects, totaling about $500,000, 

 were selected recently by the N.C. Marine 

 Fisheries Commission. The Fishery 

 Resource Grant Program, the first of its 

 kind in the nation, is funded by the North 

 Carolina General Assembly and adminis- 

 tered by North Carolina Sea Grant. 



Another request for proposals is 

 expected this summer. 



The program was created to highlight 

 the intuition and innovation of those 

 who make a living on or near the water. 

 Grants target commercial or recreational 

 fishers, seafood processors and others 

 involved in fishing industries. Other 

 applicants need participation with and 

 endorsement from industry representatives. 



Fishers are encouraged to work with 

 academic researchers to increase the 

 scientific validity of the projects. North 

 Carolina Sea Grant, with its tradition of 

 funding scientific research that can be 

 transferred to use in coastal communities, 

 often facilitates the link. 



"We are seeing more partnerships 

 between academic and industry persons 

 than in the past. I believe this is good for 

 the program," says Bob Hines, a North 

 Carolina Sea Grant fisheries specialist and 

 Fishery Resource Grant coordinator. 



'Tm looking forward to working with 

 this year's grant recipients," he adds. 



Since the program was created in 

 1994, 156 projects have been funded. All 

 regions of the North Carolina coast have 

 been represented. 



A total of 57 proposals were submitted 

 in January. The 16 projects selected 

 represent four main categories: fishery 

 equipment and gear, aquaculture and 

 mariculture, environmental pilot projects, 

 and seafood technology. 



To learn more about a 1998 Fishery 

 Resource Grant that developed a North 

 Carolina network to assist whales tangled in 

 fishing nets, turn to page 26. 



For more information, or to apply for 

 the Fishery Resource Grant Program, call 

 Hines at 252/247-4007, or the Sea Grant 

 office in Raleigh, 919/515-2454. To review 

 a list of past projects, check the Web at 

 www2.ncsu. edu/sea_grant/frgpage. html. 



-K.M. 



Warm-Blooded Fish 



JVIost fish are cold-blooded, meaning their body temperatures 

 fluctuate with the surrounding water. But about 25 species keep 

 their eyes, brain or entire body warm just as birds and 

 mammals do. All species of tuna are warm- 

 blooded, as are some mackerel and 

 billfish such as marlin and swordfish. 

 Scientists have two competing 

 theories about these fishes' thermal 

 abilities. One maintains that the fish 

 developed their warming capacity to 

 expand their ranges into colder ocean regions 

 that offered more food sources. The other maintains 

 that the heating allows the fish to increase their aerobic 

 capacity so they can be more active. For more information on 

 two look-alike warm-blooded fish, see page 32. 



Foiling 

 Oil Spills 



This year marks the 10th 

 anniversary of the environmentally 

 disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill 

 in Prince William Sound, Alaska. 

 The wreck of the Valdez pumped 

 1 1.2 million gallons of oil into the 

 water and left a legacy of habitat 

 degradation that lingers today. 



In the early 1980s, North 

 Carolina Sea Grant and the North 

 Carolina Biotechnology Center 

 supported research that studied 

 com slash as a means of absorbing 

 spilled oil. Com slash is the plant 

 material left in the field after the 

 com is harvested. 



Hans Paerl, a researcher from 

 the University of North Carolina at 

 Chapel Hill, tested the usefulness 

 of com slash in experimental spills 

 in outdoor ponds. He found that 

 the com material absorbed the oil 

 and had an additional benefit: it 

 provided a good substrate for 

 bacterial growth, and the bacteria 

 helped speed the natural break- 

 down of the oil. 



The com slash also answered 

 a problem that often goes hand-in- 

 hand with oil-spill cleanup. When 

 using biodegradation techniques, 

 cleanup teams often have to 

 fertilize the water with nitrogen so 

 that the oil-eating bacteria can 

 survive. Using the com slash 

 allowed the bacteria to produce 

 their own nitrogen through 

 nitrogen fixation. 



Though com slash would be 

 no match for spills like the Valdez, 

 techniques like this one could be 

 extremely useful in small, 

 confined oil spills in marinas or 

 marshes. 



- R.W.S. 



COASTWATCH 



