One of his favorite images is of a couple in a boat with a dead deer. 



With a bemused smile, Qriffith points out that it is the woman, wearing a dress and 



hat, who is carrying the shotgun 



in the photo circa 1895. It is 



obvious that he delights in finding 



such juxtaposition. 



Woman with a shotgun ferrying deer on 

 the New River, NC, c. 1895. Courtesy of 

 the NC Division of Archives and History 



Stories of 

 the Sea 



exchanges generated by the interdiscipli- 

 nary panel. 



The variety of his experience is 

 apparent in The Estuary's Gift, a sum- 



mary of Griffith's work through the 1980s 

 and 1990s. The book cites his studies in 

 Florida, Virginia, Puerto Rico, the North 

 Carolina mountains and especially along 

 the North Carolina coast, allowing Griffith 

 to draw parallels between the various 

 locations and industries. 



The book also allows him to put the 

 North Carolina coastal experience into 

 historical perspective. In fact, he enjoys 

 the historical research about as much as 

 his fieldwork. 



While the book is written in a 

 narrative style without footnotes, he 

 follows the academic tradition of using 

 pseudonyms for the local residents. Thus, 

 he has chosen historical photographs 

 rather than current images to illustrate the 

 various chapters. The archive photos of 

 net fishing and oyster shucking are similar 

 to those in his office and the hallways in 

 the historic Mamie Jenkins Building on 

 the ECU campus. 



One of his favorite images is of a 

 couple in a boat with a dead deer. With a 



bemused smile, Griffith points out that it is 

 the woman, wearing a dress and hat, who 

 is carrying the shotgun in the photo circa 

 1895. It is obvious that he delights in 

 finding such juxtaposition. 



77?^ Estuary 's Gift is his fourth book, 

 and another on fishers in Puerto Rico is in 

 the works. 



Griffith still finds time to write poetry 

 and other creative pieces, but you must 

 page through his vitae to learn of the 

 national praise for his creative work. For 

 example, his short story "Devil's Work- 

 shop" took second prize in Ston 

 magazine's 1998 competition. 



That doesn't surprise ECU colleague 

 Margie Gallagher. She knows that his 

 poetry has earned national recognition. But 

 as in his academic work, the projects are 

 not done for praise or glory. "He doesn't 

 need the approval of others," she says. 



Then again, poets tend to be 

 underappreciated in our society, she 

 adds. □ 



Griffith's studies also include 

 community reactions to proposed 

 changes in fishing regulations and to 

 challenges presented by Pfiesteria, a 

 sometimes toxic dinoflagellette first 

 discovered in North Carolina waters. 



The diversity of topics is invigorat- 

 ing. "North Carolina fisheries are so 

 complex and interesting, you tend not to 

 get bored," he says. 



Griffith also participates in the 

 Southern Coastal Heritage Program that 

 provides workshops to help teachers 

 share lessons of the unique ecosystems 

 and communities along our shore. Even 

 though he is "not a big one for sitting on 

 committees," he enjoys the lively 



COASTWATCH 15 



