Both fresh and estuarine water will be 

 tested in the pools and ponds. A third 

 phase will compare growth and sur- 

 vival rates of the pond-raised finger- 

 lings in the fresh and estuarine water. 



Ron Hodson, Sea Grant's associate 

 director and project director of the 

 Aquaculture Demonstration Project, 

 says research efforts with hybrids are 

 just beginning. "We know we can grow 

 marketable hybrids in sixteen to eigh- 

 teen months. With research, we can 

 probably shorten this time. A lot de- 

 pends on getting the larvae off to a 

 good start and providing them with 

 optimal growing conditions through 

 the whole process." 



The techniques developed in this 

 project will not only benefit other 

 agencies working with hybrids, but it 

 could be the start of a new aquaculture 

 industry in North Carolina, Kerby 

 says. "Hybrids," he adds, "could be 

 the alternative market fish for the 

 declining striped bass." 



Another popular food fish is the 

 yellow perch. In the Midwest, demand 

 for this species far exceeds supply even 

 though great numbers are harvested in 

 the Great Lakes. Aquaculture projects 

 in Wisconsin have been raising yellow 

 perch, but their efforts have been ham- 

 pered by a short growing season and 

 the lack of a dependable supply of 

 fingerlings. 



Coastal North Carolina is on the 

 southernmost range for this species 

 and has the optimum temperatures 

 necessary for a long growing season. 

 But, yellow perch is not commercially 

 fished in this state. Because of the low 

 demand and available supplies, the 

 catch is incidental. 



Jeff Hinshaw, a NCSU graduate 

 student working with Kerby and 

 Huish, thinks the yellow perch has 

 much greater potential in North 

 Carolina. This year, he will be using 

 the Aquaculture Demonstration Pro- 

 ject's facilities to produce fingerlings 

 from larvae and to produce a depend- 

 able supply acclimated to culture con- 

 ditions. 



"One of the potential benefits from 

 this work," Hinshaw says, "will be an 

 exchange program with fish farmers in 

 the Midwest." In North Carolina, the 

 spawning season for yellow perch is 

 one to four months ahead of the 

 Midwest season. Hinshaw hopes to set 

 up a cooperative program with 

 Midwestern fish farmers to ship eggs 

 and larvae to them during their off- 



season in return for the same during 

 the off-season here, extending the 

 growing season for both regions. 



Research on yellow perch also in- 

 creases the potential for grow-out in 

 North Carolina or other southeastern 

 states. Climate and the longer growing 



Commercial fishing, like most busi- 

 nesses, has gotten more complex over 

 the years with advances in technology. 

 Fishermen today have to keep abreast 

 of the latest in equipment, and know 

 how to use it in the most cost-efficient 

 way. In many small, family-owned 

 operations, which are characteristic of 

 most of the industry in North 

 Carolina, a fisherman may wear a 

 number of hats: bookkeeper, net 

 mender, welder, mechanic, navigator 

 and seafood processor in addition to 

 boat captain. 



In 1981, over 250 fishermen learned 

 about the latest developments in tech- 

 nology and improved their technical 

 skills in a program coordinated by Jim 

 McGee of the Division of Continuing 

 Education at ECU. Funded by Sea 

 Grant, this program will be expanded 



season give North Carolina an advan- 

 tage over growers in the Midwest, ac- 

 cording to Hinshaw. "We can produce 

 more fish per given unit of time," he 

 says. "There is already a market for 

 this highly valued species, and that's 

 the main criterion for aquaculture." 



and offered again in 1982. 



Designed for both the seasoned fish- 

 erman and the novice, the curriculum 

 will begin with an emphasis on 

 business affairs, from financing the 

 boat to paying taxes. "We will be 

 covering a variety of topics," McGee 

 says, "from fuel economy and boat 

 building to navigation and cold water 

 survival. The program will include 

 workshops, lectures, demonstrations 

 and individual instruction." 



This year, a special international 

 section has been added to the program. 

 Sea Grant's director, B. J. Copeland, 

 calls the international program a 

 "transfer of technology with very 

 positive benefits for both countries." 

 Forty Nigerians are coming to Dare 



Continued on next page 



Transferring technology and skills 



