SEA 



SCIENCE 



All whelks are carnivores and scavengers, and use their noses to find burrowing clams — 



or bait used in crab or conch pots. They force apart bivalves with a strong foot and aperture lip. 



Or, they may chip away the shell of the prey until it is possible to insert their mouths to feed on the mollusk inside. 



And, documenting the presence of blue 

 crab in ocean waters during winter months sheds 

 light on the life history of the prized crustacean. 

 Currently, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries 

 (DMF) is conducting a crab-tagging study of 

 female blue crabs to determine staging areas, 

 migration routes, timing and habitat of the 

 female crab. 



Since the conch study ended, Beresoff has 

 caught a number of DMF-tagged crabs offshore. 

 'This says they do migrate into ocean waters," 

 he points out. 



To help assess the offshore population of 

 blue crab, Logothetis and Beresoff will take 

 the study a step further. They will tag females 

 trapped offshore to learn if they return to inland 

 waters — and if so, where they go. A grant from 

 the N.C. Blue Crab Research Program will fund 

 their continuing effort. 



Their conch study also had another surpris- 

 ing finding. When they set lines — 20 pots over 



LEFT TO RIGHT: Dave Beresoff, a Brunswick County commercial fisher, says FRG projects help find real 

 world answers to pressing needs. • On board the fishing boat, Logothetis measures and records each catch. 

 • The results suggest a viable fishery during slow seasons. 



1 ,000 feet of troll line — the pots stayed in place, 

 even in heavy weather. This suggests that troll 

 pot lines could help solve the "ghost crab pot" 

 problem. 



Ghost pots are single crab pots that break 

 loose from their buoys and potentially foul other 

 fishing gear, stray into boating lanes, or become 

 environmental trash. 



Sea science 



Conchs and whelks are related as shelled 

 gastropods, Logothetis explains. 



Whelks are in the family Mebngenidoe, 

 while true conchs are in the family Strombidae. 



All whelks are carnivores and scavengers, 

 and use their noses to find burrowing clams — or 

 bait used in crab or conch pots. They force apart 

 bivalves with a strong foot and aperture lip. Or, 

 they may chip away the shell of the prey until it 

 is possible to insert their mouths to feed on the 

 mollusk inside. 



On the other hand, true conchs are herbi- 

 vores that feed on algae. Their typical flared lip 

 would prevent them from exhibiting carnivorous 

 behavior. 



The Queen Conch of tropical fame does 

 not come as far north as North Carolina waters. 

 They are protected in the Florida Keys and parts 

 of the Caribbean due to overharvesting. In some 



places, conch farms provide the sweet meat for 

 commercial consumption — the main ingredient 

 of stew and fritters. 



Though whelks are not a protected species, 

 many states do have commercial and recreational 

 landing /harvesting restrictions. 



Currently, North Carolina recreational 

 anglers are limited to 10 per day per person, or 

 not exceeding 20 per day per vessel. However, 

 our state has no commercial harvest restrictions 

 for whelk, nor is there a fishery management 

 plan in place. Should one be considered, further 

 studies will be needed to document male/female 

 distribution, growth rates and life history, Logo- 

 thetis says. 



Fishing-boat science 



The conch study is not the first FRG project 

 Beresoff has initiated. He previously has worked 

 with scientists to study fishing gear and red drum 

 protection. 



Beresoff provides project ideas, field 

 knowledge and equipment, while the scientists 

 climb on board to collect samples or test gear 

 and record data. Together, the strange boat fel- 

 lows analyze and report findings that often prove 

 economically valuable to the fishing community. 



The North Carolina General Assembly 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 21 



