To 



Lo many people, the words "North 

 Carolina Sea Grant" are synonymous 

 with one name: B.J. Copeland. 



Copeland has built, shaped, led and 

 defended North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 molding it into one of the top Sea Grant 

 programs in the nation. Now, after more 

 than 23 years as its director, he is 

 stepping down from his leadership post. 



A large-framed, white-bearded 

 Oklahoma native with a down-home 

 style, 

 Copeland 

 has made 

 his mark 

 from the 

 halls of 

 Congress to 

 the fishing 

 docks of 

 the North 

 Carolina 

 coast. His 



right places at the right times with 

 accurate information. 



Obtaining sound scientific infor- 

 mation often means tackling a problem 

 from more than one angle. Copeland 

 believes in the "team approach" and 

 constantly assembles groups of 

 scientists from a variety of research 

 disciplines to solve coastal problems. 



"B.J. is a master at finding the 

 right mix of research, education and 



B.J.s Fa 



' By Kathy Hart 



arewe 



ll 



message in 



all venues is the same: University 

 research can and should respond to the 

 needs and problems of our coastal 

 region and its people. 



With Copeland at the helm, North 

 Carolina Sea Grant never shies away 

 from the controversial or complicated 

 issues that face the Tar Heel coast. It 

 is Sea Grant's role to provide the 

 middle ground and the scientific 

 answers that others can use to quiet 

 the controversy and to make better 

 decisions. 



Consequently, Sea Grant has acted 

 as mediator or information broker when 

 state officials, citizens and advocacy 

 groups have argued over commercial 

 fishing regulations, recreational fishing 

 licenses, water quality issues, shellfish 

 problems, coastal management issues 

 and more. 



To keep Sea Grant abreast of the 

 issues and responsive with its research, 

 Copeland has attended more public 

 hearings, meetings, conferences and 

 workshops than a fish has scales. He 

 works tirelessly, often 10- and 12-hour 

 days, to ensure that Sea Grant is at the 



advisory service skills to solve a 

 marine or coastal problem," says Jim 

 Cato, director of the Florida Sea Grant 

 Program and president of the Sea Grant 

 Association. 



But Copeland doesn't determine 

 Sea Grant's research needs and funding 

 priorities alone. All research projects 

 are subject to a review process that 

 includes as many as eight critiques by 

 peers, management personnel and, 

 ultimately, the National Sea Grant 

 College Program office in Silver 

 Spring, Md. 



"It's a rigorous process," says Ron 

 Hodson, North Carolina Sea Grant's 

 associate director. "But B.J. and I 

 believe that peer review is the best way 

 to assemble a high-quality, cutting- 

 edge research program." 



When Copeland isn't responding 

 to problems, he is looking for research 

 projects and extension efforts with 

 potential economic payoffs for the 

 coastal region. As a result of Sea Grant 

 funding: 



♦ More than 1 8 Tar Heel aquacul- 

 turists are netting 1 million pounds of 



hybrid striped bass worth $2.5 million. 

 Ten years ago, this aquaculture industry 

 was nonexistent. 



♦ Thousands of people have been 

 able to build homes on poorly draining 

 coastal soils using alternative septic 

 systems. 



♦ Extension specialists introduced 

 the seafood industry to cryogenic 

 freezing, commercial fishermen to the 

 skimmer trawl and crab shedding 



techniques, 

 oyster 



leaseholders 

 to maricul- 

 ture innova- 

 tions and the 

 construction 

 industry to 

 hurricane- 

 resistant 

 building 

 techniques 

 that saved 

 homeowners money and property. 



Other Sea Grant projects had 

 policy and management benefits. 

 Sea Grant has been instrumental in 

 providing research to better manage 

 fisheries and other coastal resources, 

 improve building codes, plan water 

 uses and regulate water quality. 



Proud of Sea Grant's accomplish- 

 ments and its dedicated staff of 

 professionals, Copeland assuredly 

 stands up at any speaking engagement 

 and tells his audience that it costs each 

 Tar Heel taxpayer 30 cents a year to 

 operate the North Carolina Sea Grant 

 Program. Then he explains the 

 program's research and extension 

 projects and offers to give 30 cents 

 to all who feel they aren't getting their 

 money's worth. 



He's never forfeited a cent. 

 No one knows better the worth and 

 benefit of the Sea Grant network to the 

 nation than Copeland. He was part of a 

 small group of Sea Grant directors who 

 spent endless hours on Capitol Hill 

 during the 1980s telling Congress and 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 13 



