COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Turtle Workshop 

 Scheduled for 

 New Bern 



A Jan. 25 workshop will 

 consider the current status of turtle 

 populations along the East Coast and 

 efforts to protect the endangered and 

 threatened species within traditional 

 fishing areas. Some areas have been 

 closed to commercial fishing nets 

 because of turtle strandings. 



The workshop — co-sponsored 

 by North Carolina Sea Grant, the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service and 

 the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries 

 — will be held at the Sheraton Grand 

 Hotel in New Bern. The goal will be to 

 assemble a work group to recom- 

 mend research on turtle populations 

 and fishing gear development. 



Commercial and recreational 

 fishers, and others interested in 

 coastal issues are invited to join the 

 discussions with members of the 

 Atlantic States Marine Fisheries 

 Commission, Mid and South Atlantic 

 Fisheries Management Councils, U.S. 

 Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army 

 Corps of Engineers, university 

 researchers and state officials. 



For more information, contact 

 Nancy Fish at the Division of Marine 

 Fisheries at 800/682-2632. - K.M. 



Tip Sheet Helps Red Drum Anglers 



A 



new take-along product from North 

 Carolina Sea Grant is tailor-made for 

 recreational anglers interested in catch-and- 

 release techniques to help boost red drum 

 fishery stocks. 



The waterproof tip sheet — 

 the size of a bookmark 

 can be tossed into a 

 tackle box or 

 folded and tucked 

 in a shirt pocket 

 for quick reference 



One side gives an illustrated, 

 step-by-step, catch-and-release guide. 

 The other side describes the red drum and 

 offers some of the "whys" behind state regu- 

 lations. Named North Carolina's saltwater 

 fish in 1 97 1 , red drum stocks have been de- 

 pleted by overfishing. 



The tip sheet is the brainchild of Jim 

 Bahen, Sea Grant recreational fishing 

 specialist. Bahen served on the N.C. Division 

 of Marine Fisheries (DMF) advisory 

 committee that helped draft the proposed red 

 drum fishery management plan. 



"Sea Grant is promoting strategies to 

 help restore this popular recreational 

 fishery," Bahen says. 



He says it's important to know that size 

 and catch limits are meant to protect sexually 

 mature red drum stocks — allowing fish to 

 spawn over many seasons. 



DMF 

 permits only one 

 18-to-27inchred 

 drum per day to 

 be kept. Using 

 catch-and-release techniques can 

 enhance anglers' enjoyment — and red drum 

 stocks. Using circle hooks can further 

 reduce fish injury and mortality for red drum 

 as well as other recreational fisheries. 



The red drum tip sheet is being 

 distributed by Sea Grant personnel, DMF 

 agents and tackle shop owners. It is the first 

 of a series of educational products to help 

 protect and restore recreational fisheries. 



To request tip sheets, call 919/515- 

 9101 . Ask for UNC-SG-00-05, Red Drum: 

 North Carolina's Saltwater Fish. - P.S. 



Video Highlights FRG Success Stories 



r/s a catch not to be missed. 

 Anyone interested in seafood-related 

 activities will want to catch an hour-long 

 broadcast highlighting projects funded 

 through the North Carolina Fishery 

 Resource Grant Program (FRG). The video 

 began airing on local cable access channels 

 in November. Check local television 

 listings or call your local cable system for 

 air times. 



Produced by Hitchcock Broadcasting, 

 the video features successful projects from 

 various coastal areas, including: 



• A whale disentanglement network 

 developed by Bill Foster of Hatteras. 



• Quaker Neck Dam removal and its 

 impact on shad and striped bass migration 

 on the Neuse River. 



• A study of water quality on the Chowan 

 River and its impact on river herring. 



• Gill-net selectivity for the spiny dogfish, a 

 study by Dave Beresoff and Teresa Thorpe 

 in Brunswick County. 



• A new technology for cold-binding small 

 scallops into scallop medallions byjoey 

 Daniels of the Wanchese Fish Company. 



• An aquaculture pond project for South 

 Brunswick High School. 



• Changes in the Cape Fear Dam locking 

 schedule to enhance shad migration. 



• New devices to collect catch-per-unit- 

 effort data, by Mark Hooper of Smyrna. 



FRG — a state-funded program 

 administered by North Carolina Sea Grant 

 — allows individuals in the fishing commu- 

 nity to test their ideas for improving fisheries 

 and related businesses. For more informa- 

 tion, call 91 9/51 5-2454. On the Web, go to 

 www.ncsu.edu/seagrant and follow the 

 research link to FRG pages. - C.H.V. 



4 WINTER 2001 



