COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Ove 



Increased Atmospheric Nitrogen 

 Parallels Harmful Algal Blooms 



vex the last three decades, the 

 amount of atmospheric nitrogen polluting 

 North Carolina waters and other parts of 

 the North Atlantic Ocean Basin has 

 increased significantly and parallels 

 harmful algal blooms, according to a 

 new study. 



North Carolina Sea Grant researchers 

 found that nitrogen in the air accounted for 

 46 to 57 percent of the total nitrogen newly 

 deposited in the nitrogen-sensitive North 

 Atlantic Ocean Basin. The increase can be 

 attributed to growing agricultural, urban 

 and industrial emissions of nitrogen oxides 

 and ammonia, and possibly organic 

 nitrogen. 



'The study is significant because it 

 reconfirms that atmospheric nitrogen has 

 been found to be a regional and global 

 source of pollution," says Hans Paerl, 

 North Carolina Sea Grant research scientist 

 and Kenan professor of marine and 

 environmental sciences at the University 

 of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC- 

 CH) Institute of Marine Sciences. 



"We also found a strong spatial 

 linkage between water in areas with high 

 amounts of atmospheric nitrogen and in 

 places where there have been documented 

 increases in harmful algal blooms. This 

 is critical as we are only beginning to 

 understand the importance of links between 

 human-induced pollution of coastal oceans 

 and harmful algal bloom expansion." 



Joume/s End 



Photo by Michael Halminski 



Autumn visitors to the Outer 

 Banks will once again see the beacon 

 of the historic Cape Hatteras light- 

 house. The massive lighthouse was 

 rolled 2,900 feet along a temporary rail 

 system, ending its joumeyjuly 9. 

 Although the beacon returned on 

 Labor Day weekend, visitors must wait 

 until Memorial Day 2000 to venture 

 inside. Workers continue to secure the 

 foundation at the new site. 



David Whitall, a UNC-CH graduate 

 student, collaborated with Paerl on the 

 report, published in the journal Ambio. 



When algal blooms decompose on an 

 ocean or river bottom, they use up oxygen 

 in the water. If waters become anoxic — 

 having no dissolved oxygen — then the 

 fish and shellfish can die. Certain toxic or 

 inedible bloom species can alter the food 

 webs on which all commercial and 

 sportfishing species rely. 



In North Carolina, researchers found 

 that increased atmospheric nitrogen in 

 coastal waters reflects changing land use and 

 human activities. One of the most prominent 

 land-use changes has been the rapidly 

 growing swine and poultry industry in the 

 mid-Atlantic coastal plain, says Paerl. The 

 industry's growth has prompted an increase 

 in atmospheric nitrogen in the form of 

 ammonia from animal waste, storage and 

 land application. 



"Ammonia is the most preferred source 

 of nitrogen for many algal species, including 

 harmful forms," says Paerl. "We are closely 

 examining the linkage between enhanced 

 ammonia deposition and the potential for 

 harmful algal bloom expansion.' ' — A.G. 



New Fishing 

 Licenses Instituted 



If you ever use a gill net or a 

 shrimp trawl to catch food for your 

 family, you need a new license from 

 the Division of Marine Fisheries 

 (DMF) to fish legally. Recreational 

 fishers who use commercial gear — 

 though they do not sell their catch — 

 are now required to buy a Recre- 

 ational Commercial Gear License 

 (RCGL) for $35. If you don't have 

 one yet, act quickly: the grace period 

 for the old license expired Aug. 1 . 



The RCGL is just one part of a 

 DMF system that introduces 1 2 new 

 licenses this year, including the 

 Standard Commercial Fishing 

 License (SCFL) for most commercial 

 fishers, a shellfish license and 

 spotter plane license. The new 

 license system is a requirement of 

 the 1997 Fisheries Reform Act and 

 allows the division to assess the 

 impact of fishing activities more 

 accurately. 



Under the new system, only 

 fishers holding a valid Endorsement- 

 to-Sell are eligible to purchase an 

 SCFL An additional 500 commer- 

 cial licenses may be distributed to 

 persons meeting established criteria, 

 including past involvement in or 

 reliance on commercial fishing. 



Most licenses are available 

 from DMF regional offices. The 

 RCGL is also available from Wildlife 

 Resources Commission license 

 agents throughout the state for an 

 additional charge of $1 . For more 

 information about the new licenses, 

 visit the division's Web site at 

 www.ncfisherie5.net/license/index. html 

 or call Nancy Fish at 252/726-7021 . 



- RW.S. 



COASTWATCH 3 



