& f t deck 



Skimming 



Bayou Technology 



Before controversy about bycatch 

 of the shrimp fishery reached a rolling 

 boil, two North Carolina fishermen 

 took a cue from Louisiana watermen 

 and a funny-looking shrimp trawler 

 skimming the bayous. It seems their 

 Cajun cousins had taken a fancy to the 

 ''skimmer" trawl, a cross between a 

 butterfly net and a Vietnamese 

 "chopstick" rig. 



The otter, the traditional choice of 

 North Carolina shrimpers, caught 

 bunches of shrimp. But it also caught 

 sea turtles and other non-targeted 

 finfish and shellfish species known as 

 bycatch. Burdened with requirements 

 such as turtle excluder devices (TEDs) 

 — and anticipating measures to 

 further reduce finfish and shellfish 

 bycatch — the two fishermen won- 

 dered whether the skimmer might be 

 an alternative in estuarine waters. 

 Since each net lies alongside the boat, 

 and the tailbag can be conveniently 

 retrieved with a pickup line while the 

 net fishes, it appeared easy to dump 

 and required no loss of fishing time. 

 The fishermen reasoned that shrimpers 

 would be willing to dump the catch 

 about every 30 minutes; any turtle 

 caught in the net should survive such a 

 brief tow, eliminating need for a TED. 

 Second, they believed that finfish 

 bycatch would be less with skimmers 

 since the effective spread of the gear 

 over the bottom is less. 



The fishermen, Clinton Willis and 

 Craig Schreck, couldn't have been 

 more right. Four years later, they have 

 the data to prove it — thanks to the 

 cooperative efforts of fishermen, 

 netmakers, Sea Grant agents and 

 supporters in Louisiana and North 

 Carolina and to funding from the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service and 

 the Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries 

 Development Foundation. Not only 



did the skimmer reduce bycatch, it 

 blew the otter out of the water in 

 amount of white shrimp caught in 

 shallow estuarine waters. With future 

 improvements and modifications, the 

 skimmer promises to hold its own 

 against the otter trawl in pink and 

 brown shrimp catches. 



The effort to transfer Bayou 

 technology to North Carolina's inshore 

 waters is outlined in a brand-new, fully 

 illustrated publication, The Skimmer 

 Trawl in North Carolina Estuaries. 

 This 24-page manual compares the 

 skimmer and otter in regard to both 

 shrimp catch and bycatch, based on 

 tests in North Carolina during the 

 summer of 1991; details how to build 

 and fish the skimmer trawl; outlines 

 the advantages and disadvantages of 

 both gear (cost, fuel efficiency, shrimp 

 and bycatch mortality, haul-back, cull 

 time, etc.) and provides a brief history 

 of the bycatch controversy. The 

 booklet includes detailed construction 

 diagrams, photographs and tables. 



For a copy, send $2.50 to Sea 

 Grant, Box 8605, NCSU, Raleigh, 

 NC 27695. Ask for publication 

 number UNC-SG-93-01. Please make 

 check or money order payable to UNC 

 Sea Grant. 



What is Sea Grant? 



Has the name Sea Grant left you 

 wondering what this program is and 

 what it does? Well wonder no more. 

 Sea Grant has a new brochure de- 

 signed to explain this unique university 

 program and its mission. 



Sea Grant is dedicated to bringing 

 the best in research, education and 

 advice to coastal North Carolina. We 

 conduct relevant research, explore 

 innovative ideas and give sound 

 advice. 



To learn more about what Sea 

 Grant means to coastal North Carolina, 

 send for our new brochure. It's free for 



the asking. Or stop by the Sea Grant 

 office closest to you. 



Big Sweep Needs You 



The N.C. Big Sweep, the nation's 

 largest statewide waterway litter 

 cleanup, needs volunteer help to 

 answer phones and stuff envelopes 

 during the busy summer months prior 

 to the cleanup. 



Susan Bartholomew, the Big 

 Sweep executive director, is looking 

 for volunteers, adults or teenagers, 

 from the Wake County area to help in 

 the Big Sweep office, located in the 

 Wake County office building in 

 downtown Raleigh. 



In particular, Bartholomew is 

 seeking volunteers to answer the Big 

 Sweep hotline and direct potential 

 participants to cleanup sites throughout 

 the state. She also needs help packag- 

 ing supplies for county coordinators 

 and T-shirts for participants. 



"It would be an ideal summer 

 activity for high school students who 

 want to show potential college recruit- 

 ers or employers that they are involved 

 in the community," Bartholomew says. 



To volunteer, call Bartholomew at 

 919/856-6686. 



Introduce Us to Your 

 Friends 



Tell your friends about Coastwatch 

 by allowing us to send them a free 

 copy for their perusal. Just send us the 

 name and complete address of a friend 

 whom you think would be interested in 

 our magazine. Then we'll send him or 

 her a free copy with no strings at- 

 tached. If the person is interested, he or 

 she can send back an enclosed sub- 

 scription card along with a check. If 

 not, we won't bother your friend again. 



To take advantage of this offer, 

 write Coastwatch Sample Copy, UNC 

 Sea Grant, Box 8605, NCSU, Raleigh, 

 NC 27695. 



COASTWATCH 25 



