Celebrate 

 the Sounds 



yak and canoe racers 

 and folks who simply love 

 North Carolina's sounds will 

 gather Nov. 6 - 7 for the 

 second annual Sound 

 Country Celebration in 

 Edenton. 



The festival promotes 

 the natural and cultural 

 resources of the coastal plain. 

 Participants can enjoy races, 

 educational programs and 

 displays, local crafts, food 

 and music. Proceeds benefit 

 community projects. 



"We did so well, even 

 with the rain last year, that 

 we are supporting the 

 building of a canoe and kayak 

 platform at the waterfront in 

 Edenton," says organizer 

 Peter Bogus. 



The East Coast Champi- 

 onship Canoe and Kayak 

 Races will showcase the top 

 1 25 racers from New England 

 to Florida. For those who are 

 less competitive, there are 

 recreational races and a 

 challenge for business teams. 



For a leisurely pace, 

 interpretive canoe outings 

 also will be offered. Visitors 

 can bring their own canoes 

 or borrow one for the nature 

 program. 



For more information on 

 race registration, check the 

 Web at www.edenton.com and 

 follow the events link to the 

 Sound Country Celebration 

 page or call 800/775-0111 

 or 252/482-2282. - K.M. 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Lighthouse's Rich History 

 Inspires New CD 



Tor more than 1 00 years, the Cape 

 Hatteras lighthouse has stood strong as an 

 important North Carolina coastal landmark. 



As waves began to crash at its spiral 

 base, the lighthouse inspired a fierce debate 

 on erosion-control efforts. This summer, 

 despite heavy opposition, the lighthouse was 

 moved about a half-mile inland. 



The landmark's move and its rich history 

 inspired NC State University adjunct music 

 professor Bett Padgett to produce a new 

 compact disc: "Hatteras: If a Lighthouse 

 Could Speak." 



"The folkish-style CD speaks of the 

 emotions felt by the local people toward 



relocating the lighthouse," says Padgett, 

 who teaches guitar lessons at NC State. "It 

 also tells of the importance of saving the 

 lighthouse. I have traveled in Europe and 

 visited their castles and homes. Europeans 

 have worked hard to preserve their history 

 and culture. Americans also need to 

 preserve historic structures like the 

 lighthouse." 



The CD, produced by Red Eye 

 Distributors, can be found at book and 

 record stores throughout North Carolina 

 or ordered on the Web at bettpadgett.com. 

 Half of the profits will be donated to the 

 Cape Hatteras National Seashore. - A.G. 



Recycled Chickens 

 Make Safe, Effective Crab Bait 



A chicken farmer's trash may soon be 

 a crabber's treasure. North Carolina Sea 

 Grant researchers report that a poultry-based 

 bait set with a heat-binding system is safe 

 and effective as an alternative bait for 

 harvesting blue crabs. 



The fermented "poultry mortalities," or 

 dead chickens, may prove useful as an alter- 

 native bait for other aquatic species caught 

 by trap, including lobster, eel and sea bass. 



'People have been using chicken parts 

 to catch crabs for many years," says North 

 Carolina Sea Grant researcher Peter Ferket, 

 who is associate professor of poultry science 

 at NC State University. 



"By heat-treating the chicken, we have 

 eliminated salmonella, E-coli and other 

 bacteria. The chicken bait could be safer 

 than natural baits that may be contaminated 

 with harmful bacteria." 



This study confirmed earlier Sea Grant 

 tests of the experimental crab bait, which 

 takes advantage of food-science technology. 



Traditionally, crabbers have 

 used fish bycatch, river herring X"'j^£s 

 and menhaden for bait. In * V 

 North Carolina, some ^s > *r^ 

 traditional bait sources are no 

 longer viable. Because of T^s^ 

 improved technology and J? pT 



state and federal regulatory efforts to reduce 

 catch that is undersized and unmarketable, 

 bycatch has declined. Also, the landings of 

 river herring declined 87 percent from 1985 

 to 1994, according to the N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries. 



"Because of competition for alternative 

 uses of menhaden such as fish meal 

 production, prices for menhaden have 

 increased 55 percent in the last three years," 

 says Bob Hines, North Carolina Sea Grant 

 fisheries specialist. 



Teena Middleton, who received her 

 PhD. from NC State in 1999, collaborated 

 with Hines and Ferket. Their findings also 

 show that no off-flavors are produced in 

 crabs harvested using the new bait. 



The poultry-based bait may be cost- 

 effective for both crabbers and farmers. 



"In North Carolina, 50,000 tons of 

 poultry mortality is disposed of every year," 

 says Ferket. "We are trying to take a 

 material that has traditionally been an 



environmental negative and use 

 it to produce a product that 

 P^i^O a benefits the poultry industry 

 ^^ r ^zZ; and blue crab fishery. 

 \^Af However, additional research 

 rf *^SsL' is needed on the optimum 

 jj^^ durability of the bait." — A.G. 



4 



AUTUMN 1999 



