innovative. Duane points to studies by 

 geologist Stan Riggs of East Carolina 

 University and colleagues who looked at the 

 impact of ground water seeping out into the 

 continental shelf. They also studied factors 

 involved in coastal erosion — a big problem 

 nationwide. 



But Sea Grant is not research alone. 

 The results must be shared with the coastal 

 communities and the state as a whole. For 

 example, Spencer Rogers, Sea Grant's 

 coastal erosion and construction specialist, 



Sea Grant researcher Charles "Pete" 

 Peterson, center, has studied shellfish. 



File Phoio by Mien Weiss 



worked with Riggs and others to translate 

 research results into engineering terms that 

 could be understood by policy makers and 

 property owners so that they could make 

 science-based decisions. 



In fact, the Sea Grant extension 

 program originally was known as the Marine 

 Advisory Service — and that scientific advice, 

 seasoned with doses of reality, resulted in 

 many direct changes in coastal life. 



Tillett was known to get calls at home 

 late at night with questions from captains 

 who had just come in from their boats. In a 

 1 979 Coastwatch article, he explained why 

 he would spend days poring over publica- 

 tions or calling around the country to get the 

 answers. 



"Fishing isn't as simple as it used to 

 be," said Tillett, who helped introduce pot 

 pullers and net winders. "And unless the 

 fishermen get some help, they're going to 

 have a hard time making it." 



Riding the Waves 



Sea Grant got off to a strong start in 

 North Carolina — but the picture was not 

 always rosy for the federal/state partnership 

 that provided $2 in federal funds for each $1 

 in state funding. 



In 1980, Sea Grant was zero-budgeted 

 in the president's blueprint, and North 

 Carolina responded. 



"It wasn't a stretch to show that Sea 

 Grant was doing good things. It was worth 

 something — and worth keeping," recalls 

 Copeland, who spent many days in Wash- 

 ington getting the Sea Grant message out. 



"A lot was at stake. You only lose once 

 with Congress," he says. "We passed the test 

 with the help of Rep. Walter B. lones, Sr." 



And it didn't hurt to show a 1981 Sea 

 Grant analysis that showed a 40-to-l return 

 on the investment. "That's a lot of impact on 

 people we serve," Copeland says. 



The direct impact was evident in the 

 growth of the extension program. Initial 

 work in fisheries and marine education, 

 were soon joined by aquaculture and 

 mariculture. Coastal processes work 

 increased, as did coastal law and policy 

 efforts. 



Sea Grant's efforts in the 1980s 

 included the initial N.C. Commercial 

 Fishing Show, organized by fisheries 

 specialist Jim Bahen, and the first Beach 

 Sweep clean-up day, organized by marine 

 education specialist Lundie Spence. Those 

 legacies live on today. The fishing show, 

 now sponsored by the N.C. Fisheries 

 Association, features dozens of vendors and 

 workshops, including presentations by Sea 

 Grant researchers and staffers. Beach Sweep 

 evolved into Big Sweep, a separate nonprofit 

 agency that sponsors waterway clean-ups in 

 all 100 counties in the state. 



And as coastal development burgeoned, 

 Walter Clark managed to interpret the 

 growing number of state policies meant to 

 balance economic growth and environmen- 

 tal/public trust concerns. 



In the 1990s, North Carolina added a 

 new position — water quality specialist. 

 Barbara Doll jumped in with both feet. Her 

 storm drain stenciling and urban stream 

 restoration efforts show the connection 



between growth in the Research Triangle 

 area and coastal water quality. 



Sea Grant also took on the administra- 

 tion of the N.C. Fishery Resource Grant 

 Program, with fisheries specialist Bob Hines 

 taking on the role of coordinator. By then, 

 fisheries work included shellfish aquaculture, 

 such as oyster grow-out methods demon- 

 strated by Skip Kemp. Meanwhile, Wayne 

 Wescott brought the "green stick" tuna rig to 

 the Outer Banks, to the delight of commer- 

 cial and recreational fishers alike. 



Nature-based tourism was not just a 

 buzzword, but an economic boost for coastal 

 counties, according to surveys by Jack 

 Thigpen, who is now the Sea Grant extension 

 director. Seafood safety had always been a 

 priority for processors, but federal mandates 

 spurred training courses presented by Dave 

 Green and Barry Nash of the seafood lab. 



And when the North Carolina coast was 

 hit by major hurricanes, Sea Grant quickly 

 responded. Home construction and retrofit- 

 ting techniques were highlighted by Rogers 

 after Fran devastated areas such as Topsail 

 Island in 1996. Water quality issues were 

 highlighted in Sea Grant's rapid response to 

 Hurricane Floyd's record flooding. From 

 research to workshops, publications to media 

 interviews, Sea Grant got the word out. 



Russ Lea, vice president of research for 

 The University of North Carolina, says Sea 

 Grant's decades of research background is 

 crucial when such disasters strike. "In the 

 wake of catastrophic climatic impacts to our 

 coastal communities, the importance to react 

 in a coordinated way to revitalize our coastal 

 economy takes on considerable importance," 

 he says. 



As we enter the new century, Hodson 

 sees new challenges for Sea Grant as the 

 program must be on constant watch for 

 coastal changes wrought by humans and by 

 nature. 



"In the next 25 years, we will be 

 challenged to continue our tradition of 

 excellence," Hodson says. "We must meet 

 the needs of the diverse coastal community. 

 These are no longer simply fishing villages." 



And, in the end, the work must be 

 relevant. "We must maintain our connection 

 to the people," he says. □ 



18 HIGH SEASON 2001 



