THE BACK PAGE 



"The Back Page" is an update 

 on Sea Grant activities — on 

 research, marine education and 

 advisory services. It's also a good 

 place to find out about meetings, 

 workshops and new publications. 

 For more information on any of 

 the projects described , contact the 

 Sea Grant offices in Raleigh 

 (919/737-2454). 



What's tougher than 

 a pier piling made out of 

 steel and covered with 

 concrete? Spencer 

 Rogers, Sea Grant's 

 coastal engineering 

 specialist, says the 

 answer is plastic. 



Rogers says a new method of con- 

 structing piles for piers and marina 

 docks uses a PVC pipe as a casing that 

 is filled with concrete reinforced with 

 steel. 



While the initial cost is slightly 

 higher than concrete construction, 

 Rogers says the long-term cost is 

 probably less expensive. The PVC 

 piles require less maintenance and they 

 last longer. 



A wooden pile has a lifetime of about 

 30 years, but the PVC piles have lasted 

 up to 50 years. And, they're stronger 

 than a concrete pile of the same size. In 

 the conventional concrete piles, water 

 penetrates the concrete to rust the 

 steel inside, causing the concrete to 

 crack. 



Rogers says the new method is 

 useful for new construction as well as 

 for repair work on docks using the 

 older, conventional methods. 



UNC Sea Grant Director B.J. 

 Copeland was elected to the Board of 

 Directors for the Marine Division of 

 the National Association of State Uni- 

 versities and Land-Grant Colleges 

 (NASULGC). Copeland was one of 

 two Sea Grant directors elected to the 

 board. 



Dirk Frankenberg, director of the 

 marine science curriculum at the Uni- 



versity of North Carolina at Chapel 

 Hill and coordinator for UNC Sea 

 Grant's coastal studies research, was 

 also elected to the board. 



Jim Bahen, a Sea 

 Grant marine advisory 

 agent at Ft. Fisher, is 

 testing an excluder trawl 

 for shrimping. Working 

 with a local shrimper 

 who has agreed to use 

 the trawl, Bahen will compare the 

 catch results from the excluder trawl 

 with those of a standard trawl. 



An excluder trawl has two tailbags 

 and a mesh panel in the belly of the 

 net. As the trawl is dragged along, the 

 catch enters the mouth of the net. The 

 shrimp will pass through the mesh of 

 the panel and into the main tailbag. 

 Bycatch, such as fish, jellyfish and 

 crabs, will strike the panel and be 

 forced into the other tailbag, which 

 can be left open so that the fish can 

 pass back into the water. 



The excluder trawl is designed to ex- 

 tend the vessel towing time and free 

 many of the juvenile fish and shellfish 

 that often die in the trawl. 



The blue crab grows 

 only periodically 

 through a molting pro- 

 cess, called shedding. 

 For a period of several 

 hours after shedding, the 

 hard blue crab, includ- 

 ing its shell, appendages and internal 

 parts, is soft. We know the crab in this 

 soft state as a delicacy. And, fishermen 

 can land extra profits if they're willing 

 to cull out peelers (crabs preparing to 

 shed) and hold them until they shed. 

 With a plentiful supply of crabs in 

 North Carolina's waters, more fisher- 

 men are giving soft-shell crabbing a 

 try. 



That's why UNC Sea Grant is spon- 

 soring a soft-shell crab workshop. The 

 workshop will be held March 10 from 

 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Beaufort 



County Community College in 

 Washington. Experienced shedders 

 will be on hand to tell fishermen about 

 their successful shedding methods. The 

 workshop will include discussions on 

 blue crab biology, peeler identification, 

 harvesting methods, facility design 

 and marketing. Fishermen will find 

 out what it costs to get into the 

 business and what the potential return 

 is. 



The fee for the workshop is $5 in ad- 

 vance and $6 at the door. For a com- 

 plete agenda and a registration form, 

 write Jim Murray, UNC Sea Grant, 

 105 1911 Building, North Carolina 

 State University, Box 8605, Raleigh, 

 N.C. 27695-8605 or call (919) 737- 

 2454. 



Do you need a new 

 engine for your shrimp 

 trawler, but you can't 

 decide what to buy? At- 

 tend the North Carolina 

 Commercial Fishing 

 Show, March 16, 17 and 

 18, at the Crystal Coast Civic Center 

 in Morehead City. Manufacturers and 

 dealers will be on hand with the latest 

 in boats, nets, engines, motors, traps, 

 pots and accessory gear. 



The show will be open 6 to 9 p.m., 

 Friday, March 16; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 

 Saturday, March 17; and 11 a.m. to 5 

 p.m., Sunday, March 18. Admission is 

 free. The Crystal Coast Civic Center is 

 located off U.S. 70 in Morehead City, 

 on the campus of Carteret Technical 

 College. 



A series of short seminars will be 

 presented throughout the three-day 

 event. Seminar topics will cover 

 everything from crab shedding to the 

 prevention of boat fouling. 



The North Carolina Commercial 

 Fishing Show is sponsored by UNC 

 Sea Grant, the N.C. Agricultural Ex- 

 tension Program, the N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries, the N.C. Fisheries 

 Association and Carteret Technical 

 College. 



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