Sea Grant Given Helm 

 of Fishery Grant Program 



Fishermen and other folk who 

 make their living from coastal waters 

 often have innovative ideas for improv- 

 ing the resource. Experimenting can be 

 expensive, however. Where scientists 

 are accustomed to applying for research 

 funds to test a theory, seasoned fisher- 

 men often see the realm of grant-getting 

 as a vast, hostile ocean. 



The Fishery Resource Grant 

 Program has aimed to change things. 

 Launched in 1994 by the North Caro- 

 lina General Assembly, the program's 

 intent was to provide money for 

 research on new equipment and gear; 

 environmental parameters, including 

 water quality and habitat; aquaculture; 

 and seafood technology. A major goal 

 was to elicit participation from people 

 in the fishing community. Sea Grant 

 assisted with workshops to inform 

 people along the coast about the 

 program and how to apply for grants. 

 For two years, the N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries administered the $1 

 million annual program, which pro- 

 vided 78 grants to fishermen, seafood 

 processors, culturists and scientists. 



As with any new program, there 

 were glitches. A perception existed that 

 academics were still getting a lot of the 

 money, even though scientists often 

 provide valuable links to solving key 

 habitat and water quality problems. 

 Nonetheless, some changes have been 

 made. To be eligible for funding in the 

 program's third year, each grant must 

 involve a commercial or recreational 

 fisherman, whether an individual, 

 business or organization; an aquacultur- 

 ist; or a seafood processor or dealer. A 

 proposal from a nonfisherman would be 

 acceptable only if it is endorsed in 

 writing and supported by a fishing 

 group or organization. Also, the 

 General Assembly has placed the 

 steering wheel for the grant administra- 

 tion in the hands of North Carolina Sea 

 Grant. 



ft d e 



Sea Grant will begin its adminis- 

 tration of the program by appointing a 

 steering committee that comprises the 

 leadership of coastal fishing organiza- 

 tions and agencies. Next, Sea Grant 

 will hold priority-development 

 meetings with the fishing industry 

 along with representatives of DMF and 

 the Marine Fisheries Commission 

 (MFC). A call for proposals will be 

 issued in October and a series of 

 informational workshops conducted in 

 November and December. The 

 deadline for submissions will likely be 

 in December. 



All acceptable proposals will be 

 reviewed anonymously by peer 

 reviewers who are without conflict of 

 interest. After the reviews have been 

 completed, Sea Grant will convene a 

 panel to examine the peer reviews and 

 rank-order the proposals for funding. 

 The rank-ordered list will be presented, 

 along with a justification of funding, to 

 the MFC for consideration. The MFC 

 will authorize funding. The contents of 

 all reviews will be shared with the 

 investigator in conjunction with 

 recommendations for funding or 

 denial. Grant recipients will be 

 required to submit quarterly progress 

 reports and allow site inspections and 

 evaluations as needed. 



For more information about the 

 program, call Sea Grant Marine 

 Advisory Service Director Jim Murray 

 or Sea Grant Director B.J. Copeland at 

 919/515-2454. 



New Communicator 



You may have noticed a new 

 name on the Coastwatch masthead. It's 

 Daun Daemon, who joined the North 

 Carolina Sea Grant communications 

 staff in August. She comes to Sea 

 Grant from the N.C. State University 

 College of Engineering, where she 

 acted as the college's information 

 officer, writing news features, news 

 releases and speeches. She also served 

 as the media contact for the college. 



c k 



Daemon is a graduate of NCSU, 

 having received a B.S. in wildlife 

 biology, B.A. in English and a master's 

 in English. She has worked as a feature 

 writer for The News and Obsemer in 

 Raleigh and taught in the NCSU 

 English department for seven years. 



"We're excited to have Daun on 

 the staff," says Kathy Hart, Sea Grant's 

 director of communications. "She's an 

 excellent writer, and her background 

 made her a perfect choice for the job. 

 She's enthusiastic and always smiling 

 too." 



Recently Renovated 



The North Carolina Sea Grant 

 office has a new look. 



Our offices in the 1911 Building at 

 NCSU were recently renovated. 

 Construction workers added walls for 

 new offices, a new ceiling, fresh paint 

 new carpet and updated heating and 

 cooling systems. 



"It looks very different," says Sea 

 Grant's Tammy Sumner. "It's brighter, 

 more modern and more professional. I 

 think everyone on the staff is happy 

 with the changes." 



The renovation allowed Sea Grant 

 to move water quality specialist 

 Barbara Doll from her office in Jordan 

 Hall to the 1911 Building. She can be 

 reached at 919/515-2454. 



If you'd like to see our new digs, 

 drop by suites 100 and 101 on the 

 ground floor of the 1911 Building on 

 the NCSU campus. 



Neuse River Monitored Closely 



As water quality problems on the 

 Neuse River receive national attention, 

 scientists and resource managers 

 coordinated efforts this summer to 

 closely monitor the troubled river. 



North Carolina Sea Grant scientists 

 Hans Paerl and James Pinckney, 

 researchers at the University of North 

 Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute of 

 Marine Sciences, took weekly water 



24 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1996 



