COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Wild Horses Receive 

 Birth Control Vaccine 



Th 



his year, N.C. 

 Division of Coastal 

 Management 

 officials are trying to 

 stop the overpopula- 

 tion of wild horses at 

 the Rachel Carson 

 reserve site in 

 Beaufort. 



In March, 

 horses that live on a 

 collection of islands that includes Carrot 

 Island, Town Marsh, Bird Shoal and Horse 

 Island received birth control vaccinations. 



The division wants to control the 

 number of horses to ensure that the herd 

 continues to have enough food and water, 

 and to prevent additional damage to the 

 sanctuary, one of eight sites comprising the 

 N.C. Coastal Reserve. Studies have shown 

 that the horses severely damage important 



Scott D. Taylor 



plants on the reserve 

 and increase erosion 

 on the islands. 



This is the third 

 year the horses have 

 been vaccinated. 

 Because past 

 vaccinations were 

 unsuccessful, the 

 horses received a 

 new vaccine called 

 porcine zonae pellucidae. 



The Assateague National Seashore 

 near Ocean City, Md., famous for its wild 

 horses, has used this vaccine for more than 

 a decade. 



Only mares received the vaccine, 

 which is effective for one year. As older 

 mares die, some younger horses will not 

 receive vaccinations, allowing them to 

 produce offspring and continue the herd. 



-AG. 



Restoring Oysters 



The nation's oyster stocks are under 

 siege. Overharvesting and habitat destruc- 

 tion have hurt oyster populations all over 

 the country, but diseases like MSX and 

 Dermo are often the worst killers. 



The U.S. Congress has funded an 

 Oyster Disease Research Program to help 

 determine causes and identify solutions to 

 oyster disease. For a copy of the program's 

 report, "Restoring Oysters to U.S. Coastal 

 Waters," call Maryland Sea Grant at 301/ 

 405-6376. 



While the country waits for a cure for 

 oyster illnesses, North Carolina shellfish 

 farmers arm themselves with new strategies 

 to settle and grow more oysters on their 

 leases. Fast-growing oysters also can be 

 harvested before Dermo or MSX kills 

 them. Neither disease is toxic to humans. 



Several of the state's Fishery Resource 

 Grant projects have been devoted to oyster 

 research. Mark and Penny Hooper, 

 operators of Hooper Family Seafood in 



Smyrna, have received several mariculture 

 grants to make the oyster fishery a 

 profitable business once more. 



In one project, the Hoopers experi- 

 mented with the cage and rack method of 

 oyster culture, an off-bottom system that 

 promotes fast growth during the oysters' 

 first 20 months. The cage and rack system 

 is widely used on the West Coast and in 

 France, but had not been tried with native 

 North Carolina oysters. 



The Hoopers found that using the 

 system allowed faster oyster growth, with 

 oysters reaching marketable size before 

 diseases could kill them. Oysters produced 

 in the cages were also very clean, giving 

 the Hoopers a market niche. 



Two other projects were designed to 

 enhance methods of collecting wild oyster 

 seed. Seed from wild stock gives oyster 

 growers the advantage of growing hardy 

 shellfish that are primed for the North 

 Carolina environment. — R.W.S. 



Discover 

 Ancient Fossils 



Would you like to dig for 

 prehistoric sharks' teeth and other 

 marine fossils? How about 

 exploring the PCS mine in Aurora 

 — one of the world's largest 

 phosphate facilities — or viewing 

 an exhibit of prehistoric man in 

 eastern North Carolina? 



These activities are part of the 

 6th Annual Fossil Festival May 

 28-30 in Aurora. The festival, co- 

 sponsored by the Aurora-Richland 

 Township Chamber of Commerce 

 and the town of Aurora, features a 

 parade, fossil auction, street dance, 

 vendors and singing groups. 



Fossil collectors can add to 

 their collections during digs May 

 29 and May 30 across the street 

 from the Aurora Fossil Museum 

 and at other locations. "In the past, 

 people have found sharks' teeth, 

 porpoise teeth, sea urchin spines 

 and porpoise vertebrae," says 

 Candace Holliday, the festival co- 

 chairperson and the director of the 

 fossil museum. 



After digging for fossils, you 

 can view a variety of museum 

 exhibits, including fossilized 

 bones, shells and coral, and 

 discover how geologic forces have 

 created this large bed of fossils. 



If you miss the festival, but 

 love fossils, don't despair. You 

 can still visit the museum this 

 summer. During June, July and 

 August, museum hours are 9 a.m. 

 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through 

 Friday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

 Saturday. 



For more information, call 

 252/322-4238 or 252/322-4727 

 or visit the Web site: www. 

 southfest. com . — A. G . 



COASTWATCH 



