COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Disaster Preparedness Expo Set for June 2 



North Carolina Sea Grant will take 

 part in Project Impact: Disaster Prepared- 

 ness Expo 2001 from 9 am. to 7 p.m. June 

 2 at Trask Coliseum at the University of 

 North Carolina at Wilmington. 



Project Impact, a Federal Emergency 

 Management Agency (FEMA) initiative, 

 helps communities protect themselves from 

 the devastating effects of natural disasters. 

 Preparedness involves taking action to 

 reduce disruption and loss. 



More than 120 exhibits will include 

 products and demonstrations to make area 

 residents "disaster resistant" and better pre- 

 pared, says Debbie Reed, project coordinator. 



The 2001 expo expands from its 

 hurricane-centered focus of past years to 



include all hazards, such as floods, fire and 

 severe weather. 



Along with exhibits and demonstrations, 

 the expo will feature activities for youngsters, 

 including a fire safety demonstration, a 

 storytelling comer and face painting. 



Spencer Rogers, North Carolina Sea 

 Grant coastal erosion and construction 

 specialist, will present several workshops 

 on building and retrofitting a hurricane- 

 resistant home. Hurricanes are a reality for 

 coastal residents, Rogers says. He'll 

 demonstrate ways to retrofit existing homes 

 for maximum protection against wind and 

 water damage. 



For more information, call Reed at 

 910/341-4595. -P.S. 



'Protect Wild Dolphins' License Plate 



The 



Wright 

 Brothers 

 might easily 

 have seen 

 dolphins 

 cavorting off 

 the coast at 

 Kill Devil 

 Hills while 

 preparing for 



that first historic flight. Soon, a pair of 

 leaping dolphins with the words 

 "Protect Wild Dolphins" will adorn 

 special North Carolina "First in Flight" 

 license plates. 



The plate will draw attention to the 

 harm that can be done in human-dolphin 

 interactions. Proceeds will support 

 conservation, education and research 

 programs of the North Carolina Maritime 

 Museum in Beaufort. 



Dolphins are a special interest of the 

 museum's natural science curator, Keith 

 Rittmaster, who has studied dolphins 

 near Beaufort since 1985. Rittmaster, his 

 wife Victoria Thayer, research assistant 

 Nan Bowles and other volunteers use 



photographs 

 of dolphins' 

 dorsal fins to 

 identify and 

 study the 

 animals. (For 

 more on 

 photo- 

 identification 

 studies, see 

 page 26.) 

 Dolphins often are injured by boat 

 propellers or drown when entangled in 

 fishing gear. Humans also endanger 

 dolphins by feeding them — everything 

 from Twinkies to sunglasses. And 

 dolphins can become aggressive and bite 

 once accustomed to being fed by humans. 



Federal laws with stiff penalties 

 prohibit the feeding or harassment of 

 dolphins. 



The plates cost $30 and can be 

 personalized for an additional $20. For an 

 application, contact the museum at 252/ 

 728-731 7 or the Cape Lookout Studies 

 Program office at 252/504-2452. For an 

 application online, visit www.southern- 

 outerbanks. com/clsp-plate. html. — C. H . 



Where the Fish Are 



Before you go surf fishing — 

 or head to the pier or boat dock — 

 try surfing the Web for the latest 

 news on what's biting and where. 



The N.C. Division of Marine 

 Fisheries (DMF) has launched an 

 online fishing report at 

 www.ncdmf.net/fishreport, where 

 anglers can find details on recent 

 coastal catches, as well as tips on 

 bait and tackle. 



The weekly updates cover 

 charter and head boat activity, pier 

 and surf action, and private boat 

 catches along the northern, central 

 and southern coast. Regional e-mail 

 contacts provide additional details. 



DMF recreational port agents 

 canvass 220 locales along the coast 

 to provide data for the Marine 

 Recreational Fishery Statistics 

 Survey. While this information is 

 useful to anglers who want to know 

 what's biting, its real use is to 

 estimate the impact of recreational 

 fishing on our marine resources. 



The DMF Web site also offers 

 the latest size and catch limits, fish 

 identification pages, and stock 

 status reports. For more informa- 

 tion, contact Doug Mumford at 

 Doug.Mumford@ncmail.net, or call 

 800/338-7804 or 252/946-6481 . 



-K.M. 



COASTWATCH 5 



