FROM THE EDITOR 



Oysters: Past, Present and Future 



f~or generations, wanning up on chilly winter nights 

 included sipping a steaming bowl of flavorful oyster stew. 

 But in recent years, it has been less and less likely that the 

 oysters were harvested from North Carolina waters. 



Oysters are more than simply good eating, they also 

 filter water - up to 50 gallons per day - and provide an 

 important habitat for many other species of marine animals, 

 finfish and shellfish. 



North Carolina Sea Grant has various efforts focusing 

 on native oyster stocks - funded through our core research 

 program, national strategic research initiatives, minigrants 

 and the Fishery Resource Grant Program, as well as through 

 our extension and communications programs. Throughout 

 2004, we will share stories on various projects, including our first DVD, Tire 

 Amazing Oyster. 



Sea Grant is not alone in oyster restoration efforts in North Carolina. 

 An overview of the issues will be offered at An Encore for Oysters, March 

 16-17 at the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City. The North Carolina 

 Coastal Federation is organizing the conference with support from the U.S. 

 Environmental Protection Agency and the Shellfish Sanitation Section of the 

 N.C. Division of Environmental Health. 



Speakers will include state and federal officials, university research- 

 ers and community groups involved in restoration efforts. The program will 

 conclude with optional field trips. For more infonnation, including registration 

 fees and a complete agenda, contact the Coastal Federation at 800/232-6210 

 or go online to www.nccoast.org. North Carolina Sea Grant is one of many 

 cosponsors for the event. 



* # * 



I n 2003, North Carolina Sea Grant chalked up a number of accomplish- 

 ments. The long-awaited publication of Mariner's Menu: 30 Years of Fresh 

 Secifood Ideas. The hiring of three new extension specialists, introduced on 



page 20. The selection of four Knauss fellows. 



We also had a successful Program Assessment Team 

 review. Our evaluation team included two members of the 

 Sea Grant National Review Panel, one Sea Grant program 

 director, and two additional experts in our research and 

 outreach topics. 



We kept them busy for their five-day visit, sharing 

 many success stories. In many cases, we only scratched the 

 surface. 



The team gave us high marks for program leadership, 

 our strategic planning process, and a "seamless" integration 

 of our administration, research, extension, communications 

 and education efforts. Other "highest performance" catego- 

 ries included contributions to science, technology, education and outreach, as 

 well as our extensive range of partnerships. 



In particular, they cited innovative partnerships such as FerryMon water 

 quality sampling in the Pamlico Sound and the Coastal Plains Paddling Trails 

 Initiative as "best management practices," which could be models for other 

 Sea Grant programs around the country. 



The review team also offered a list of recommendations to improve our 

 program, such as involving more high school students and undergraduates in 

 Sea Grant efforts, as well as reaching out to previously undeserved groups. 



On behalf of North Carolina Sea Grant Director Ron Hodson, I would 

 like to thank the more than 100 partners, researchers and graduate students 

 who participated in one or more aspects of the review. 



We expect our next national review in four years. Again, we will call 

 upon those of you who have helped us bring Sea Grant goals into reality. But 

 you don't have to wait four years. 



Please drop me a line if you have an example of how Sea Grant's 

 applied science and outreach programs have made a difference to North 

 Carolina -and to you. 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



T H 



ISSUE 



Contributing Writers: 

 Ann Green a Lilly Loughner a Katie Mosher ° Pam Smith 



Contributing Photographers: 

 Michael Halminski ° Josie Mullins ° David Nash 

 Spencer Rogers D Ken Taylor a Scott Taylor 



North Carolina's diverse coast offers countless interestingsubjects. 

 The large dots on the locator map indicate story settings in this issue — 

 indudingDare, New Hanover and Carteret counties. 



