Coastwatch 



Managing Editor 

 Katie Mosher 



Senior Editors 

 Ann Green 

 Pam Smith 



Contributing Editor 

 Cynthia Henderson Vega 



Designer 

 L. Noble 



Circulation Manager 

 Sandra Harris 



The North Carolina Sea Grant College 

 Program is a federal/state program that 

 promotes the wise use of our coastal and 

 marine resources through research, extension 

 and education. It joined the National Sea Grant 

 College Network in 1970 as an institutional 

 program. Six years later, it was designated a 

 Sea Grant College. Today, North Carolina Sea 

 Grant supports several research projects, 

 a 12-member extension program and a 

 communications staff. Ron Hodson is director. 

 The program is funded by the U.S. Department 

 of Commerce's National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration and the state 

 through the University of North Carolina. 

 Coastwatch (ISSN 1068-784X) 

 is published six times a year by the 

 North Carolina Sea Grant College Program, 

 North Carolina State University, Box 8605, 

 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605. 

 Telephone: 919/515-2454. Fax: 919/515-7095. 

 Subscriptions are $15. 

 E-mail: katie_mosher@ncsu.edu. 

 World Wide Web address: 

 http://www. ncsu. edu/seagrant 

 Periodical Postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 



POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 



Coastwatch, North Carolina Sea Grant, 

 North Carolina State University, Box 8605, 

 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. 



North Carolina 



Front cover photo of bridge tender 

 Troy Shepard at Wrightsville Beach 

 and table of contents photo of 

 sea oats by Scott D. Taylor. 

 Printed on recycled paper. ® 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Sea Turtle Standings Cause Concern 



A record 839 sea turtle 

 strandings reported along the 

 North Carolina coast in 2000 

 has sparked concern from 

 diverse groups of citizens. 



Some environmentalists 

 are calling for more restric- 

 tions on commercial fishing. 

 But commercial fishers say 

 they should not assume all 

 the blame — and conse- 

 quences. They say more 

 information is needed to 

 pinpoint causes of turtle 

 mortality and to implement 

 preventive measures — short of closing 

 fisheries. 



During a January workshop, commer- 

 cial fishers, state and federal officials, 

 researchers and other interested citizens 

 shared information and explored solu- 

 tions. The forum — hosted by the National 

 Marine Fisheries Service, the N.C. Division 

 of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and North 

 Carolina Sea Grant — focused on ways to 

 protect these endangered and threatened 

 species while maintaining traditional 

 fishing activities. 



Ruth Boettcher, former sea turtle 

 coordinator for N.C. Wildlife Resources 

 Commission, said that the cause of death 

 for 91 percent of the turtles could not be 

 determined. Boating interactions caused 

 the highest number of known mortalities, 

 she added. 



In spring 2000, the carcasses of more 

 than 300 turtles washed up on Outer 

 Banks beaches in two mass strandings. 

 Large mesh net fragments attached to 



several turtles led officials to link the events 

 to out-of-state monk fishers in waters off 

 the North Carolina coast. Late last year, 

 additional turtle strandings in the southern 

 Pamlico Sound prompted DMF to close 

 the area to large gill nets used to catch 

 flounder. 



Jerry Schill, executive director of the 

 N.C. Fisheries Association, said the 

 industry has shown a willingness to adopt 

 technology to protect turtles. For example, 

 turtle excluder devices used to release 

 turtles from shrimp nets have been 

 effective in reducing turtle deaths. 



DMF director Preston Pate described 

 the workshop as a starting point for 

 continued discussion, including the 

 formation of a working group to recom- 

 mend research needs. 



Individuals or groups interested in 

 joining the effort should contact Nancy 

 Fish, DMF Public Affairs, bye-mail at 

 nancy.fish@ncmail.net or by phone at 

 252/726-7021. -P.S. 



In the Next Issue of Coastwatch 



Delicate coral reefs may be considered canaries in the coal mine — they are often 

 the first species to show stress when an ecosystem is degraded. Pam Smith shares 

 the research of Alina Szmant, a scientist at the University of North Carolina at 

 Wilmington. And, ever wonder how museum displays seem so lifelike? Ann Green 

 takes you into the world of taxidermy. 



2 SPRING 2001 



