publications qualified for the inter- 

 national competition by first winning 

 similar awards in regional competition 

 conducted by the STC's Carolinas 

 Chapter. Seven other UNC Sea Grant 

 publications won awards at the 

 regional level. 



The Society of Wetland Scientists 

 will hold its Third Annual Conference 

 May 17-19 at Wrightsville Beach. The 

 agenda includes field trips to marshes 

 and pocosins, a technical-paper ses- 

 sion, a poster session and a banquet. 

 For more information on the con- 

 ference, contact Bill Adams, secretary, 

 P. O. Box 296, Wilmington, N.C. 

 28402. 



Coastal North Caro- 

 lina is a wreck-diver's 

 paradise. Hundreds of 

 shipwrecks, from 

 blockade runners to 

 modern trawlers, found 

 in this "Graveyard of 

 the Atlantic" make this area one of the 

 most exciting dive spots on the East 

 Coast. Some of the most popular 

 shipwrecks are listed in Sea Grant's 

 Wreck Diving in North Carolina. 



Wreck Diving, written by Dennis 

 Regan and Virginia Worthington, 

 identifies and describes 43 of North 

 Carolina's undersea shipwrecks. In ad- 

 dition, this 16-page booklet includes 

 safety tips, a bibliography and a list of 



nearby decompression facilities. To ob- 

 tain a copy of this free publication, 

 write UNC Sea Grant, Box 5001, 

 Raleigh, N.C. 27650. Ask for publica- 

 tion number UNC-SG-78-13. 



With spring comes an urge to ex- 

 plore the outdoors. And what better 

 place to explore than a coastal salt 

 marsh or estuary? 



Among the things you can see dur- 

 ing a salt-marsh excursion are the 

 special plants that grow there — plants 

 that can stand up to changes in tides 

 and salinity, and to wind and wave ac- 

 tion. To deal with their environment, 

 salt marsh plants have special built-in 

 features. The waxy leaves of the 

 yaupon resist salt damage and retain 

 moisture, while the leaves of the marsh 

 pennywort rotate to avoid the sun's 

 hottest rays. 



Many of these plants were used for 

 household aides, food and drink in the 

 homes of the colonial settlers who lived 

 in the coastal zone. Blackrush needles 

 were cut for sewing needles, marsh 

 mallow thickened soups and stews, and 

 yaupon was brewed for tea. 



If you would like to learn more 

 about marsh plants, and have a guide 

 to their identification, then write UNC 

 Sea Grant. Ask for "A Guide to Salt 

 Marsh Plants Common to North 

 Carolina" (UNC-SG-81-04), written 

 by Elizabeth Jean Wilson of the 

 Hampton Mariners Museum. The cost 

 is $1.50. 



Spring is the time of 

 year sportsfishermen 

 drag their gear out of 

 storage and start making 

 plans for weekend 

 fishing trips. But unless 

 the gear was stored 

 properly after last season, they may be 

 in for a big disappointment. Rods, 

 reels and tackle need regular cleaning 

 and maintenance to give first-rate 

 results. 



Sportsfishing Gear Mainte- 

 nance, a Sea Grant Blueprint, gives 

 tips on protecting and storing fishing 

 gear. Special instructions for protec- 

 tion against saltwater corrosion are 

 also included. For a copy of this free 

 leaflet, ask for publication number 

 UNC-SG-BP-81-1. 



Coastwatch is published monthly 

 except July and December by the Uni- 

 versity of North Carolina Sea Grant 

 College Program, 105 1911 Building, 

 North Carolina State University, 

 Raleigh, NC 27650-5001. Vol. 9, No. 4, 

 April, 1982. Dr. B.J. Copeland, direc- 

 tor. Neil Caudle, editor. Kathy Hart 

 and Cassie Griffin, staff writers. 

 Second-class postage paid at Raleigh, 

 NC 27611. 



COASTWATCH 



105 1911 Building 



North Carolina State University 



Raleigh, NC 27650 



Second-class postage paid 

 at Raleigh, NC 27611 

 (ISSN 0161-8369) 



12357 



STATE OF N C LIBRARY 

 109 E JONES ST 

 RALEIGH NC 27601 



