COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Scientists Ponder Farm-raised Flounder 



Founder aquaculture efforts could 

 build upon the success of farm-raised 

 hybrid striped bass, according to a group 

 of North Carolina scientists. 



Many lessons learned through North 

 Carolina Sea Grant aquaculture research - 

 from nutrition and disease prevention to 

 pond technology — can be transferred to 

 flounder studies, says North Carolina Sea 

 Grant Director Ron Hodson. He directed 

 much of the hybrid striped bass research 

 that spawned a multi-million dollar 

 industry in the state. 



The flounder 

 efforts are gaining 

 steam in the state's 

 research community. 

 A panel of scientists, 

 state regulators and 

 current fish farmers 

 recendy released the 

 report "flounder 

 Aquaculture and 

 Stock Enhancement 

 in North Carolina: 

 Issues, Opportunities 

 and Recommenda- 

 tions." The recom- 

 mendations include a state-funded 

 hatchery and establishment of a Marine 

 Finfish Aquaculture Committee. 



The report is the result of a series of 

 flounder workshops that drew toxicolo- 

 gists, engineers, zoologists and water- 

 quality experts. The meetings were funded 

 by a grant from the North Carolina Board 

 of Science and Technology. 



The workshops also had the support 

 of North Carolina Sea Grant, the University 

 of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Program 

 in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, 

 the N.C Department of Agriculture and 

 Consumer Services, the National Oceanic 

 and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal 

 Services Center and the NC State University 

 College of Agriculture and Ufe Sciences. 



The nation now has one commercial 

 hatchery for summer flounder and a 

 handful of grow-out operations, which take 

 the young fish, known as fingerlings, to 

 market size. There are no commercial 



hatcheries for southern flounder, which is 

 the focus of Sea Grant-funded research by 

 Harry V. Daniels and Craig V. Sullivan of 

 NC State University. 



Southern flounder, which can tolerate 

 lower salinity and higher temperatures, are 

 well-suited for North Carolina operations, 

 Daniels says. 



"We have been successful in develop- 

 ing fingerlings," he adds. "We now are 

 moving our focus more into grow-out." 

 This year Daniels anticipates multiple 



spawning cycles for 

 the flounder being 

 bred at the Tidewater 

 Research Station in 

 Plymouth. 



The workshops' 

 recommendations 

 stress the need for a 

 new hatchery. "The 

 state cannot make 

 significant progress in 

 developing flounder 

 1 aquaculture or 

 I answering questions 

 I regarding stock 

 enhancement without 

 the capacity to produce a large supply of 

 healthy flounder fingerlings," the report 

 states. 



Other recommendations from the 

 workshop participants include a compre- 

 hensive stock assessment of flounder and 

 other marine finfish being considered for 

 aquaculture, as well as incentives and joint 

 research facilities or consortiums to support 

 aquaculture research and development. 



The scientists also suggest an 

 integrated permitting process for commer- 

 cial marine finfish aquaculture and a focus 

 on land-based systems — tanks and ponds 

 — to minimize environmental impart. 

 Finally, the panel recommends a cost- 

 benefit analysis of efforts to enhance wild 

 flounder stocks. 



To receive a free copy of the report, 

 call North Carolina Sea Grant at 91 9/51 5- 

 2454 ore-mail harriss@unity.ncsu.edu. Fax 

 requests can be sent to 919/51 5-7095. Ask 

 for publication UNC-SG- 99-02. — KM 



Want to help clean up 

 North Carolina's waterways? 



Join the 1999 First 

 Citizens Bank Big Sweep 

 Sept. 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 



Volunteers from across 

 the state will clean the shores 

 of rivers, lakes and the ocean. 



Founded as a coastal 

 cleanup called Beach Sweep 

 by North Carolina Sea Grant 

 marine education specialist 

 Lundie Spence in 1987, the 

 program was expanded inland 

 and renamed Big Sweep in 

 1989. When all 100 North 

 Carolina counties committed 

 to Big Sweep in 1995, it 

 became the nation's largest 

 statewide waterways cleanup. 



Last year, volunteers 

 retrieved more than 268 tons 

 of trash along North 

 Carolina's waterways. 



With littering on the rise, 

 more volunteers are needed, 

 including litter collectors, 

 boaters and fishers. To 

 volunteer in your county, 

 call the Big Sweep hotline at 

 800/27-SWEEP. —AG. 



COASTWATCH 3 



