COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Turtle Nest Count 

 Low at Cape Lookout 



Th, 



I he 2004 turtle nesting count on Core Banks and Shackleford Banks is being described as 

 'disappointing" by officials at the Cape Lookout National Seashore. 



Overall, Cape Lookout reported finding 74 loggerhead nests 

 and three leatherback nests — the lowest number since 1988 and well 

 below an average of 130 nests over the past decade. 



As worrisome is the low success rate of hatchlings. Of the 7,000 

 eggs counted, only 3,139 hatched successfully. 



Hurricanes are part of the hatchling problem, according 

 to Cape Lookout Seashore biologist Jeff Cordes. Storm- 

 eroded dunes are a lot lower and make nests susceptible to 

 flooding, which can wash away eggs before they produce 

 hatchlings. 



The success rate was lowest on North Core Banks, 

 which was most impacted by storms. Only 21 percent of 

 the 2,017 eggs counted at North Core Banks produced 

 hatchlings. Of its 25 nests, 18 were either flooded or washed away during 

 Hurricane Alex. 



Storms account for hatchling success, but not for the slump in nesting 

 activity. It's normal to have numbers fluctuate, but the 2004 numbers are well 

 below average, Cordes says. — P.S. 



Pate, Daniel Lead Fishery Panels 



I w 



I wo North 

 Carolinians 

 were tapped to 

 lead important 

 interstate fisheries 

 management 

 boards. 



Preston Pate, 

 director of the 

 N.C. Division of 

 Marine Fisheries, 

 was elected 

 chairman of the 



LEFT: Preston Pate, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries director. 

 RJGHT: Louis Daniel, DMF scientist 



which estimates 

 recreational 

 catches. 

 The 



SAFMC develops 

 regulations for 

 federal waters 

 from North 

 Carolina through 

 eastern Florida 

 and makes 

 recommendations 

 to the National 



Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission 

 (ASMFC). Louis Daniel, DMF scientist, was 

 elected chairman of the South Atlantic Fishery 

 Management Council (SAFMC). 



The ASMFC coordinates management 

 of migratory species for in-state waters 

 from Maine to Florida. Pate sees a need to 

 re-examine how states participate in the 

 Manne Recreational Fisheries Statistics Survey, 



Manne Fisheries Service, also known as 

 NOAA-Fisheries. Daniel plans to emphasize 

 an ecosystem approach to fisheries 

 management that considers the biological and 

 socioeconomic aspects of regulations. 



The chairmen set meeting agendas, 

 appoint committee members and decide upon 

 which issues the boards should focus. 



-P.S. 



Strategic Plan 

 Update 



North Carolina Sea Grant is 

 currently requesting comments on potential 

 priorities for the program in 2005 to 2010. 



"As part of our research funding cycle, 

 we update our five-year strategic plan every 

 two years" explains Sea Grant Director 

 Ronald G. Hodson. "Ourgoal is to ensure 

 that our research and outreach projects 

 are meeting identified needs here in North 

 Carolina." 



The updated plan will consider goals 

 of the parent funding agency, the National 

 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

 The North Carolina plan also is expected 

 to reflect a reorganization of the National 

 Sea Grant College Program's strategic plan, 

 which was released last summer. 



"Eleven Sea Grant thematic areas have 

 been identified as critical areas of focus for 

 sustainable resource management in the 

 next decade," the national plan states. The 

 theme areas are: 



• Aquaculture 



• Biotechnology 



• Coastal Communities and Economies 



• Coastal Natural Hazards 



• Digital Ocean 



• Ecosystems and Habitats 



• Fisheries 



• Invasive Species 



• Marine and Aquatic Science Literacy 



• Seafood Science and Technology 



• Urban Coasts 



To suggest North Carolina priorities 

 within the Sea Grant theme areas, please 

 send your comments to Ronald G. Hodson, 

 North Carolina Sea Grant, NCSU Box 

 8605, Raleigh, 27695-8605. Or send e-mail 

 to ronald_hodson@ncsu.edu, using the subject 

 line: NCSG Strategic Plan. 



Comments are needed byjan. 28. 



For more information on the National 

 Sea Grant College Program, including 

 descriptions of the thematic areas and a 

 download of the updated strategic plan, 

 go online to www.seagrant.noaa.gov. — K.M. 



COASTWATCH 5 



