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). For copies of 

 publications, write UNC Sea 

 Grant, NCSU, Box 8605, Raleigh, 

 N.C. 27695-8605. 



At seafood restau- 

 rants, few people stop to 

 think of what it takes to 

 get fresh fish on their 

 platters. From the hook 

 to the cook, there are 

 many steps involved, 

 and all of them are important. 



Gary Van Housen, UNC Sea 

 Grant's new regional marine specialist 

 in Bogue Banks, will be working to en- 

 sure product quality from North 

 Carolina's fisheries. He'll be advising 

 fishermen, processors, restaurant own- 

 ers and others, of ways to improve 

 their handling of fresh fish. Van 

 Housen will also develop marketing 

 strategies for various fish found off 

 North Carolina's coast. 



Van Housen comes to Sea Grant 

 from the National Marine Fisheries 

 Service in New York, where he was a 

 fisheries product inspector. As inspec- 

 tor, he administered a seafood quality 

 program under the NMFS Grade A 

 certification program and examined 

 seafood for export. 



He holds a bachelor's degree in 

 biology from Houghton College in 

 Houghton College, N.Y., and did his 

 graduate work in fisheries biology at 

 the Virginia Institute of Marine 

 Science in Gloucester Point. As a stu- 

 dent, Van Housen received two 

 academic scholarships and a Sea Grant 

 award for his master's thesis research. 



Van Housen says he sees his work 

 with Sea Grant as a challenge because 

 "North Carolina is a transition zone. 

 You have the northern and southern 



fisheries during different times of the 

 year." For example, in the winter, 

 northern species such as sea trout and 

 flounder are plentiful, and in the sum- 

 mer, fishermen find southern species 

 such as pompano and king mackerel. 



Also, the state "has a huge estuarine 

 system. This is one of the most produc- 

 tive ecosystems. This equates to more 

 seafood and more seafood products." 



For more information about seafood 

 marketing, contact Van Housen at the 

 N.C. Marine Resources Center on 

 Bogue Banks, P.O. Box 896, Atlantic 

 Beach, N.C. 28512. Or call 919-247- 

 4007. 



Hurricane Diana is 

 history. But the damage 

 she left behind is still 

 causing headaches for 

 southeastern coastal 

 residents. Spencer 

 Rogers, UNC Sea 

 Grant's coastal engineering specialist 

 at Ft. Fisher, is surveying the damage 

 to see how property owners can pre- 

 vent problems the next time a 

 hurricane blows North Carolina's way. 



"New construction and general con- 

 struction practices fared very well," 

 Rogers says. "The most common cause 

 of major structural damage was the 

 failure of a porch roof or overhang. 

 When the porch roof blew off it often 

 damaged the main roof and allowed 

 water inside the building." 



Rogers estimates that while many 

 structural repairs were not costly, the 

 accompanying water damage often in- 

 creased financial losses considerably. 

 Rogers says that future damage may 

 be prevented by carefully connecting 

 the porch posts supports to the roof 

 and the foundation. 



Despite damage estimates of more 

 than $70 million, Rogers says Diana 

 was a relatively mild hurricane. The 

 storm surge, a wall of water driven 

 onshore by a hurricane, was minimal, 

 and the hurricane's highest winds were 

 directed offshore. These factors com- 

 bined to reduce damage to buildings, 

 homes, beaches and dunes. 



But he cautions, coastal residents 

 may not be so lucky next time. That's 

 why Rogers is offering technical 

 assistance in storm-resistant construc- 

 tion methods to builders, designers and 

 homeowners making repairs or plan- 

 ning new construction. For help, call 

 Rogers at 919/458-5780. 



Unc Sea Grant is seeking accurate 

 wind speed reports recorded during 

 Hurricane Diana at shoreline areas in 

 New Hanover and Brunswick coun- 

 ties. Spencer Rogers will use the infor- 

 mation to gauge how well coastal 

 homes and buildings stood up to 

 Diana's fury. 



If you watched or had wind speed 

 equipment that recorded velocities 

 during Diana's peak winds, please con- 

 tact Rogers at 458-5780. 



Lights. Camera. Ac- 

 tion. The set isn't in 

 Hollywood and stars 

 aren't Richard Gere or 

 Sally Field. Instead, this 

 film's topic is aquacul- 

 ture, and its stars are 

 fish farmers in Japan, Europe and the 

 United States. 



Jim Larison, the director of com- 

 munications for the Oregon State Uni- 

 versity Sea Grant Program, filmed and 

 produced the 56-minute documentary, 

 "Farmers of the Sea." 



The film traces aquaculture's begin- 

 ning, examines its more recent suc- 

 cesses in Japan, and looks at its com- 

 petitive edge over wild fisheries in 

 Europe. The documentary questions 

 the future of aquaculture in the United 

 States and shows its potential for help- 

 ing the people of developing nations 

 feed themselves. Some of the 

 aquaculture research sponsored by Sea 

 Grant is featured in the film. For 

 teachers or museums who would like to 

 rent or purchase a 16 mm or video 

 copy of the film, write Sea Grant Com- 

 munications, AdS 418, Oregon State 

 University, Corvallis, OR 97331. 



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