Grant researcher was at work running an 

 innovative hydrodynamic computer 

 model he had previously developed for 

 Narragansett Bay. He produced an 

 animated model to predict the path of 

 the leaked oil. These predictions were 

 passed on to the Rhode Island Marine 

 Safety Office and the U.S. Coast Guard 

 to aid their containment and cleanup 

 efforts. 



Sea Grant outreach specialists, 

 accompanied by scientists from the 

 Narragansett Laboratory of the Environ- 

 mental Protection Agency, were first on 

 the scene to assess the oil spill's damage 

 to the environment. Using a research 

 vessel, they sampled fish, surface and 

 bottom water, and bottom sediments for 

 chemical analysis. 



Another Sea Grant researcher, who 

 had been studying the area's lobster 

 fishery for many years, helped fisher- 

 men pull pots to evaluate the effects of 

 the oil spill on lobster populations. 

 Divers returned to the site later to gather 

 additional estimates of abundance to 

 compare with Sea Grant baseline data. 



Within days of the accident, the Sea 

 Grant communications staff developed a 

 World Wide Web site that provided 

 information about the spill to a con- 

 cerned public and the media. This 

 information was also used by the Rhode 

 Island Governor's Office as a source for 

 scientific statements about the accident, 

 particularly on how it related to seafood 

 safety and tourism. 



Increasing Tuna Catches 



With the help of Japanese technol- 

 ogy, Outer Banks fishermen are reeling 

 in at least three times as many tuna as 

 before. 



"Traditionally, people catch tuna 

 with rods and reels," says Wayne 

 Wescott, a North Carolina Sea Grant 

 Marine Advisory Service specialist. The 

 new, improved approach, called the 

 green stick method, uses a little trick 

 psychology. 



A 35- to 45-foot fiberglass pole is 

 mounted inside a boat. A 500-foot main 

 line is connected to the top of the pole 

 and held taut in the water by a decoy 

 called a bird, forming a triangle 

 between the line, the water and the pole. 



Baited strands hang from the line to 

 just above the water, allowing the bait 

 to skip across the surface as the boat 

 moves. Meanwhile, the bird jumps, 

 bobs and splashes. The tuna, thinking 

 the bird is another predator, will 

 sometimes jump several feet into the air 

 to get the bait first. 



The threat of competition is so 

 successful, says Wescott, that tuna will 

 go after the bait even when they're not 

 hungry. Results show that the green 

 stick method usually catches more than 

 three times as much tuna as traditional 

 methods and can catch 10, 12 or 15 

 times more. 



Since one fisherman experimented 

 with green stick gear in 1994, 21 tuna 

 fishermen on the Outer Banks are 

 outfitted to use it. Traditional rods and 

 reels can be used at the same time, 

 enabling fishermen to fulfill bag limits 

 more quickly and efficiently. Another 

 benefit is reduced bycatch. The green 

 stick method rarely appeals to fish other 

 than tuna. 



The term "green stick" refers to a 

 commercial brand of gear, but the name 

 stuck as a generic term. Currently, the 

 gear is available only from Japan, where 

 it was developed several years ago. 



A publication explaining the green 

 stick method will soon be available 

 from Sea Grant. For more information, 

 call Wescott at 919/473-3937. 



Preparing for the Invasion 



Near the Great Lakes, just a 

 mention of zebra mussels can make 

 fishermen and boaters groan. Using 

 their gluelike byssal threads, these 

 small, clamlike freshwater mollusks can 

 attach to almost any hard surface, 

 forming thick mats of several hundred 



thousand mussels per square meter 

 (1.2 square yards). Since their discov- 

 ery in the United States in 1988, zebra 

 mussels have spread rapidly throughout 

 the Great Lakes region, colonizing the 

 Mississippi and other major river 

 systems as well as many inland lakes. 



Although zebra mussels haven't 

 been spotted in North Carolina, they are 

 now present in at least 19 states and are 

 likely to spread to more inland and tidal 

 waters. North Carolina Sea Grant has 

 produced two fact sheets to help explain 

 zebra mussels and prevent their spread. 



• "Zebra Mussels and Aquaculture" 

 details the mussel's environmental 

 requirements, lists tips for prevention 

 and outlines methods of control and 

 monitoring. Mussel colonies can clog 

 pipes and valves; damage pumps, 

 generators and motors; and cause other 

 costly problems. Knowing the facts 

 about zebra mussels and knowing how 

 to exclude them can help protect an 

 aquaculture facility and reduce the 

 spread of this pest. This four-page fact 

 sheet was written by Jim Rice, an N.C. 

 State University fisheries extension 

 specialist, and is available free from 

 Sea Grant. Ask for publication UNC- 

 SG-BP-95-01. 



• "Organizing a Zebra Mussel Task 

 Force" can help a region organize, plan 

 and run an effective zebra mussel task 

 force. A well-run zebra mussel pre- 

 paredness program can save time and 

 money — particularly in areas where 

 zebra mussels have yet to be detected. 

 The fact sheet discusses the purpose 

 and benefits of a zebra mussel task 

 force, explains the various roles task 

 forces have taken across North 

 America, lists groups to consider when 

 assembling members, gives tips on 

 organization, and supplies numbers and 

 addresses of task forces across the 

 United States. Written by Barbara Doll, 

 Sea Grant's water quality specialist, the 

 fact sheet is free. Ask for publication 

 UNC-SG- BP-96-01. □ 



COASTWATCH 25 



