able of 



Features 



NC. DOCUMENTS 

 CLEARINGHOUSE 



DEC 14 1995 



contents 



N C. STATE LIBRARY 

 RALEIGH 



Page 2 



Page 14 



Page 20 



Due South 



This issue of Coastwatch invites you to take a peek at the Pea Island 

 National Wildlife Refuge. Although most of the coast seems isolated 

 during the colder months, the refuge is a winter hotspot for waterfowl 

 from as far away as Canada, the Alaskan tundra and the Arctic. 

 Outer Banks photographer Michael Halminski catches tundra swans, 

 Canada geese, puddle ducks and hooded mergansers on the fly as 

 they soar in for the season 2 



Holy Smoke - It's Seafood 



There's nothing that can titillate your tastebuds like smoked fish. 

 Eaten plain on a cracker or added to pasta, smoked fish offers intense 

 flavor that has cash registers ringing at smoked fish companies, 

 gourmet food shops and supermarkets. Indeed, consumers have 

 learned that smoking fish isn't just a way of preserving the catch. 

 Coastwatch writer Kathy Hart will introduce readers to smoked fish 

 and a Tar Heel company cashing in on the smoked fish craze. ... 10 



The Roast: A Writer's Yearly Sojourn 

 Hydrates His Soul 



Free-lance writer Eddie Nickens takes readers on his yearly 

 pilgrimage to Masonboro Island. His fall sojourn to this isolated 

 barrier island with a few longtime friends helps him cleanse his 

 soul, revive relationships and re-establish life-sustaining links 

 to nature 14 



Hungry Giant Tuna Put Outer Banks 

 in the Spotlight 



Bluefin tuna weighing more than 300 pounds have become common 

 winter visitors around shipwrecks off Ocracoke, luring fishermen and 

 resource managers to take a closer look. Last winter, one Hatteras 

 Island fisherman tagged and released 350 of these exciting fish. 

 Coastwatch writer Carla Burgess homes in on this recent 

 phenomenon 18 



A Berry Good Meal for Birds 



In the fall and winter, migrating and wintering birds are always 

 searching for their next meal. A variety of coastal vines, trees and 

 shrubs offers a bounty of berries that can slake their hunger. 

 Coastwatch writer Kathy Hart provides a colorful description of 

 these native coastal plants and their cultivated cousins, which can be 

 placed in your landscape to add beauty and food for our feathered 

 friends 20 



Departments 



Network News 22 



Book Review 24 



Aft Deck 25 



COASTWATCH 1 



