ookstore 



Underwater 

 Exploration 



N.C. Sea Grant's latest video, 

 Undersea Oases: The Science of 

 Hardbottoms, plunges viewers to the 

 continental shelf between North 

 Carolina and Florida for a view of 

 the perplexing rocky outcrops called 

 hardbottoms. 



Surrounded by sand flats, the 

 crumbling ledges of these rocky 

 cliffs are topped by algal meadows 

 that attract a surprisingly abundant 

 array of marine life. In fact, the 

 amount of life along these hard- 

 bottoms is more abundant than on 

 other parts of the continental shelf. 



Using submersibles and remote 

 sensing devices, scientists explore, 

 map and analyze hardbottom habitats 

 on video before your very eyes. They 

 are striving to unravel questions of 

 geologic origin, diversity, nutrient 

 chemistry and productivity. 



Through footage taken from 

 submersibles and by SCUBA divers, 

 scientists guide viewers through the 

 hardbottom ecosystem and their on- 

 going research. 



Undersea Oases is ideal for 

 junior and senior high school earth 

 and marine science classes and for 

 undergraduate geology and oceanog- 

 raphy courses. It can also add an 

 educational splash to meetings of 

 dive clubs, commercial fishing 

 associations, recreational fishing 

 groups and conservation organiza- 

 tions. An enclosed brochure lists 

 organisms that appear in the video, 

 scientists, equipment and suggested 

 further reading. 



Lundie Spence, Sea Grant's 

 marine education specialist, wrote 

 and produced the video. And 

 featured in the footage are N.C. Sea 

 Grant researchers Stan Riggs, Martin 

 Posey, Scott Snyder, Will Ambrose 

 and Steve Snyder. 



To buy a copy of Undersea Oa- 

 ses, contact Environmental Media at 

 800/368-3382 between 9 a.m. and 5 

 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. 

 The cost for the 15-minute video is 

 $19.95. Or fax your order to 919/ 

 942-8785. Environmental Media 

 accepts Visa and Mastercard. 



Whom Do You Call? 



It's every vessel owner's night- 

 mare. The engine on your boat dies, 

 and you and your crew are adrift 

 offshore in a storm. 



What should you do? 



Issue a marine distress call on 

 your radio or radiotelephone. 



What do you say? 



You follow the procedure out- 

 lined in N.C. Sea Grant's new ma- 

 rine distress communications sticker. 



The form provides 14 steps you 

 should follow when making a marine 

 distress call to the U.S. Coast Guard 

 or another vessel. The form helps 

 provide vital information that could 

 be easily overlooked in a stressful 

 emergency situation. It's information 

 that could mean the difference be- 

 tween life and death for you, your 

 family or crew. 



The 9 by 4 1/2-inch form is a 

 peel-off sticker that can be applied to 

 any hard surface near your boat radio. 



Who should get a marine distress 

 communications sticker? 



Anyone who spends time on 

 the water — commercial fishermen, 

 recreational fishermen, boaters, sail- 

 ors and charter boat and dive boat 

 operators. 



How do you get one? 



Single stickers are free for the 

 asking. Just write Sea Grant, and ask 

 for UNC-SG-93-04. 



The marine distress communica- 

 tions sticker is a joint effort of the 

 Maine/New Hampshire and N.C. 

 Sea Grant College programs. 



Crisis Preparedness for 

 the Seafood Industry 



No industry is free from crisis. 

 Experts contend that every business, 

 at some time, will experience a crisis. 



And seafood processors and re- 

 tailers like other food handlers may be 

 particularly susceptible. Consumer 

 uneasiness about food and drug safety 

 is at an all-time high. 



What would a processor do if 

 confronted with an outbreak of food 

 poisoning or forced by the U.S. Food 

 and Drug Administration to recall 

 contaminated product? Unless a crisis 

 plan is in place, the processor may be 

 left floundering. 



To help seafood processors and 

 retailers plan for these unpleasant 

 situations, Sea Grant Seafood Tech- 

 nology Specialist David Green has 

 developed a Blueprint, Managing in 

 a Crisis: Being Prepared. 



It offers steps for developing a 

 crisis plan, guidelines for handling the 

 media and a sample product recall 

 policy. 



To receive a free copy of this 

 Blueprint, write Sea Grant. Ask for 

 UNC-SG-BP-93-02. 



COASTWATCH 25 



