COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



The CMAST facility will be a world-class, multi-institutional marine science campus. 



CMAST Groundbreaking - 

 Coastal Collaboration 



Want to know the latest research on 

 North Carolina fisheries and how that 

 research can help you get a better catch? 

 How about access to an up-to-the-minute 

 weather advisory that uses radar, satellites 

 and remote instrument arrays in the sounds 

 to provide accurate environmental data? 

 North Carolina political leaders, academics 

 and Sea Grant researchers met in 

 Morehead City Aug. 3 1 to break ground 

 for North Carolina State University's first 

 coastal facility, which will provide these 

 services and many more. 



The Center for Marine Science and 

 Technology (CMAST) will house 

 classrooms; a "virtual library" with access 

 to all the Triangle university libraries; an 

 oceanographic support center that plans, 

 builds, calibrates and refurbishes instru- 

 ments for field research; and laboratories 

 for coastal biologists, oceanographers, 

 geologists, veterinarians and visiting 

 scientists. The facility also will contain NC 

 State University's seafood processing 

 laboratory, where Sea Grant researchers 

 study ways to ensure the safety of North 

 Carolina seafood and develop new 

 products to enhance the value and 

 marketability of these catches. A Sea Grant 

 extension office will provide research 

 results to the public through workshops 

 and outreach programs. 



How did plans for this facility come 

 about? For decades, NC State University 

 researchers and Sea Grant extension agents 



had to rely on "borrowed" office and 

 research space on the North Carolina coast. 

 When Carteret Community College agreed 

 to house Sea Grant extension agents, 

 intense interest from the research commu- 

 nity prompted proposals for a larger, 

 shared facility. CMAST is now a coopera- 

 tive effort among NC State University, Sea 

 Grant, the University of North Carolina at 

 Chapel Hill and Carteret Community 

 College. The center's collaborative spirit is 

 emphasized by its location at the edge of 

 Bogue Sound, only four miles from the 

 Duke University Marine Lab and the 

 National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration fisheries lab on Pivers 

 Island. 



People who helped make the CMAST 

 vision a reality include B.J. Copeland, 

 former director of North Carolina Sea 

 Grant; Len Pietrafesa, of the NC State 

 University College of Physical and 

 Mathematical Sciences; and Ray Fomes, 

 former chair of the NC State University 

 Marine Sciences Council. Instrumental 

 players in Carteret County include 

 Lockwood Phillips of the Carteret County 

 News-Times; Don Bryant, president of 

 Carteret Community College; and Don 

 Kirkman, director of the Carteret County 

 Economic Development Council. North 

 Carolina Sen. Beverly Perdue and North 

 Carolina Reps. Jean Preston and Ronnie 

 Smith secured funding for the project. □ 



— R.W.S. 



Fish Online 



To get the most up-to-date informa- 

 tion on fisheries rules and regulations or to 

 learn more about North Carolina's marine 

 resources, visit the Division of Marine 

 Fisheries Web site at <www.ncdmf.net/>. 



The popular site, which averages 1 ,000 

 hits per week, features profiles of major 

 fisheries, recreational and commercial 

 landings, stock status reports, a special 

 "Kool Kids" page and highlights of the 

 division's efforts to protect and conserve the 

 state's marine and estuarine resources. □ 



Attention 

 Shellfish Lovers 



Hungry for clams? Get your hands on 

 A Guide to Recreational Clamming: Keyholing, 

 written by Sea Grant marine extension agent 

 Wayne Wescott, and collect these tasty 

 shellfish yourself. Wescott explains several 

 clamming techniques: finding exposed 

 clams, scanning for 

 sign, raking and 

 using touch. To 

 order a copy, 

 send a check 

 for $2.50 to 

 North 



Carolina Sea 

 Grant, Box 

 8605, NC State 

 University, Raleigh, NC 27695-8605. Ask 

 for publication UNC-SG-98-01 . 



Before you hit the mudflats, contact 

 the Division of Marine Fisheries about 

 permanent and temporary shellfish closures. 

 About 60,000 acres of state waters are 

 closed to shellfish harvest because of health 

 concerns. Many other areas close tempo- 

 rarily after heavy rains, when stormwater 

 runofFflushes bacteria into estuaries. 

 Because oysters, clams, scallops and other 

 shellfish are filter-feeders, they suck in water- 

 borne bacteria and pollutants and can pass 

 them on to consumers. Call the division at 

 800/682-2632 before you go shellfishing. □ 



COASTWATCH S 



