& f t deck 



Oysters Offer More 

 Than a Meal 



For more than five years, N.C. 

 Sea Grant has been developing a 

 method of oyster culture called the 

 chub system where oysters grow in 

 floating mesh containers. This 

 innovative technique may offer a boon 

 to the oyster business. But these 

 shellfish are valuable in many other 

 ways. Here's what two Wayne County 

 Community College students found 



when they volunteered for a Sea Grant 

 mariculture demonstration project. 



A myriad of creatures was living 

 in or around the chub. Growing 

 amongst the oysters were shrimp, blue 

 crabs, pinfish, oystertoads, sheepshead 

 and skilletfish, schools of mullet and 

 killifish, sponges, marine worms, sea 

 squirts, seaweeds and a 3 1/2-inch 

 spiny lobster. Inside the chubs, two 

 dozen bay scallops were growing with 

 the oysters. 



Yet oysters do more than attract 

 other beneficial organisms. They can 

 reduce the amount of algae in the 

 water. Theoretically, a single oyster 

 can filter 25 to 50 gallons of water a 

 day. That may not seem like much, but 

 theorists say that enough oysters grew 

 in the Chesapeake Bay at the turn of 

 the century to filter the entire bay in 

 three to five days. The numbers of 

 oysters left today take almost a year to 

 accomplish the task. 



Although oyster mariculture is in 

 its infancy in North Carolina, the Blue 

 Ribbon Advisory Council on Oysters 

 will issue a report soon on its study 

 findings. One of the recommendations 

 is to encourage oyster farming. And 

 the benefits to the coast and the public 

 may be greater than the economic 

 value of the oysters produced. For 

 more information, contact Skip Kemp, 

 Sea Grant's mariculture specialist, at 

 919/247-4007. 



Innovative Stream Repair 



Residential and urban streams are 

 degraded throughout the nation. A 

 broadening landscape of impervious 

 surfaces — parking lots, roads and 

 rooftops — causes excess stormwater 

 to course through stream channels. 

 This water often erodes streambanks 

 each time it rains. Such erosion 

 washes away private backyards as 

 well as public property. Traditional 

 stream repair methods are costly and 

 can destroy aquatic habitats along 

 with the natural beauty of the stream. 

 Culvert pipes and concrete-lined 

 channels can accelerate flow, often 

 contributing to erosion and flooding 

 problems downstream. 



Bioengineering offers less 

 expensive and more environmentally 

 sound options to repair streambanks. 

 This pairing of engineering principles 

 and biological expertise can reduce 

 erosion while maintaining a more 

 natural stream. Native plants inter- 

 mingled with man-made structures 

 have been demonstrated to withstand 

 flooding and other severe conditions. 

 And the native vegetation creates 

 habitat along the stream. 



North Carolina Sea Grant is 

 sponsoring a workshop in Raleigh 

 Oct. 3 1 and Nov. 1 that will offer 

 hands-on training using several 

 bioengineering techniques, including 

 A-Jacks, lunkers and willow posts. 



Bioengineering has become a 

 well-known concept to most resource 



managers. Yet still largely unknown is 

 where, when and how to apply the 

 technology. "Innovative Stream 

 Repair" will present the latest proce- 

 dures and techniques for stabilizing 

 streambanks in rural residential and 

 urban areas using bioengineering. It 

 will include a field tour of a variety of 

 degraded stream conditions where 

 bioengineering solutions can and 

 cannot be used. 



The demonstration site is an in- 

 progress repair of Rocky Branch Creek 

 at N.C. State University. The tech- 

 niques being used there include 

 concrete A-Jacks, natural and synthetic 

 fabrics, and vegetation. 



A strong assembly of bioengineer- 

 ing practitioners and researchers from 

 the upper Midwest will lead the 

 workshop. Through grant funding from 

 the U.S. Environmental Protection 

 Agency, Donald Roseboom has 

 developed innovative stream repair 

 techniques that are environmentally 

 friendlier and less expensive than 

 traditional methods. Randy Stowe is a 

 bioengineering consultant and contrac- 

 tor who has designed and implemented 

 a range of streambank stabilization and 

 stream corridor management projects. 

 Joe Chaplin is the stream maintenance 

 coordinator for DuPage County. 



Working with Stowe and 

 Roseboom, Chaplin revitalized a 1-mile 

 segment of stream for only $150,000. 

 The workshop also features North 

 Carolina engineers, biologists, natural 

 resource managers and a municipal 

 landscape architect who will provide 

 relevant information about stream 

 degradation, stream ecology, urban 

 situations, environmental regulations 

 and stormwater. 



Registration is $140 and enroll- 

 ment is limited. Some professional 

 education credits will be awarded to 

 participants. For more information, call 

 Barbara Doll, water quality specialist, 

 N.C. Sea Grant, at 919/515-5287. 



COASTWATCH 23 



