"This class ties in with the marine 

 occupation classes," says Morris. "We go 

 out on the boat and collect different species 

 of fish, crab and shrimp. The students get 

 to see the different species alive and see 

 how they are harvested," and measure the 

 effectiveness of bycateh-reduction devices 

 for weakfish and mackerel. 



As the aquaculture industry has 

 blossomed in North Carolina, more high 

 schools are offering aquaculture classes. 



In 1987, an aquaculture class was 

 started at South Brunswick High School in 

 Southport. The program has now ex- 

 panded to include three levels of classes, 

 including one for seniors at Brunswick 

 Community College. 



The school now has four ponds and a 

 reservoir that were funded by the state's 

 Fisheries Resource Grant program and 

 others. 



"It's a vocational program in which 

 students learn about identifying fish, water 

 quality, inventory, harvesting, transporta- 

 tion and other things related to fish farms," 

 says Barry Bey, the program instructor. 

 "Seniors help me with the operations of the 

 farm and develop business plans and 

 resumes." 



This year, the program, which 



focuses on three types of fish farming — 

 food fish, sport fish and hobby fish — 

 received the Governor's Economic 

 Developer of the Year award. 



"This program has been a feeder farm 

 for the fish, farming and seafood industry," 



Lisa Ethehngton, Nathalie Reyns, Geoffrey Bell 

 and Chucky Ellison look at samples pulled from 

 seagrass beds. 



Kristi Herzer and Chucky Ellison process 

 samples. 



says Bey. "We have also educated the 

 public about aquaculture and helped start a 

 class at Brunswick Community College. 

 More importantly, the program has helped 

 students of all levels. It has given students 

 with learning disabilities a chance to get a 

 college scholarship." 



Bey says that one of his biggest 

 success stories is a young woman who had 

 no interest in college until she began the 

 program. 



"The class helped to motivate her and 

 gave her good work ethics," he says. 'This 

 young lady went on to graduate from a 

 community college. Now she is majoring 

 in marine biology and aquaculture at the 

 University of North Carolina at 

 Wilmington." 



At Dixon High School in Holly 

 Ridge, students in the aquaculture class 

 maintain an oyster garden, where they 

 check the salinity and oxygen content of 



the water and compare growth rates. 



"We use an inquiry-based approach," 

 says Ed Hudson, a science and aquaculture 

 teacher at Dixon. "We go out twice a week 

 to Alligator Bay and to an adjacent bridge 

 and take water samples. If there is plankton 



Nathalie Reyns helps David Eggleston measure 

 a blue crab. 



in the net, we do a gas test in the lab for 

 bacterial growth." 



The students also keep logs on oxygen 

 content, weather and temperature. "It 

 teaches students an appreciation of nature," 

 says Hudson. "When there are only 150,000 

 small oysters in the water and you can 

 harvest only 20,000 oysters, we need to look 

 at the mortality rate and what causes the 

 oysters to die." 



Through the class, students also 

 develop an interest in science. 



"In our first class, two students became 

 commercial fishermen with large fishing 

 vessels," he says. "Probably 20 percent of 

 the class becomes science majors." 



Hudson would like to see more 

 programs like this in high schools. 



"The class teaches students and the 

 public an understanding of the marine 

 environment," he says. "It helps people 

 develop an appreciation for the problems 

 associated with the marine environment. 

 Our whole community is supportive of the 

 program." □ 



COASTWATCH 15 



