Coastwatch 



Managing Editor 

 Katie Mosher 



Senior Editors 

 Ann Green 

 Pam Smith 



Contributing Editors 

 Kathleen Angione, Lilly Loughner 



Designer 



L. Noble 



Circulation Manager 

 Sandra Harris 



The North Carolina Sea Grant College Program 



is a federal/state program that promotes 

 stewardship of our coastal and marine resources 



through research, extension and education. 

 It joined the National Sea Grant College Network 

 in 1970 as an institutional program. Six years later. 



it was designated a Sea Grant College. 

 Today, North Carolina Sea Grant supports research 

 projects, a 1 5-member extension program and a 

 communications staff. Ron Hodson is director. 

 The program is funded by the U.S. Department 

 of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration and the state through the 

 University of North Carolina. 

 Coastwatch (ISSN 1068-784X) 

 is published six times a year by the 

 North Carolina Sea Grant College Program, 

 North Carolina State University, Box 8605. 

 Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8605. 

 Telephone: 919/515-2454. Fax: 919/515-7095. 

 Subscriptions are SI 5. 

 E-mail: katie_mosher@ncsu.edu 

 World Wide Web address: 

 http://wwwMseagrant.org 

 Periodica] Postage paid at Raleigh, N.C. 



POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 



Coastwatch North Carolina Sea Grant 

 North Carolina State University. Box 8605, 

 Raleigh. NC 27695-8605. 



SeaErant © 



North Carolina 



Cover photo of oyster bed by Ken Blevins/ 

 Wilmington Star-News. 

 Table of Contents photo of crabs 

 by Scott Taylor. 

 Printed on recycled paper. ® 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



NC Sea Grant Among Nation's Best 



■lorth Carolina 

 Sea Grant is among 

 the top Sea Grant 

 programs across the 

 country, according 

 to the National Sea 

 Grant College Program 

 (NSGCP). The Category 

 1 ranking cites "highest 

 level of performance." 



The North Carolina program "is a leader 

 locally, regionally and nationally," NSGCP 

 Director Ronald Baird wrote in a recent 

 report. "The program is very successful at 

 integrating research, education, extension and 

 communications elements across projects," he 

 added. The ranking places North Carolina Sea 

 Grant in line to receive national merit funding. 



"There are many outstanding Sea Grant 

 programs across the country, so it is an honor 

 to be ranked among the very best," said North 

 Carolina Sea Grant Director Ronald G. Hodson. 

 "The rating highlights our focus on coastal 

 topics important to North Carolina, the region 

 and the nation — providing scientifically sound 

 information to the public in effective formats and 

 understandable terms." 



Sea Grant is a federal/state partnership 

 that receives funding from Congress through 

 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

 Administration, as well as an appropriation 

 from the North Carolina General Assembly. The 

 program headquarters are at North Carolina 

 State University, with offices in Manteo, 

 Morehead City and Wilmington. Nationally, 32 

 programs are in coastal and Great Lakes states. 



A Program Assessment Team, organized 

 by the National Sea Grant Review Panel, visited 

 North Carolina last fall. The evaluators noted 



the effectiveness of the 

 program's Outreach 

 Advisory Board, as well 

 as an in-state review of 

 research preproposals 

 and an out-of-state 

 review of final research 

 proposals. 



"An impressive 

 array of diverse user 

 groups routinely participates in and benefits from 

 NCSG programming, including policy makers, 

 community organizations, business leaders, 

 property owners, visitors to the N.C. coast, 

 educators and members of the media." 



National leadership of the Seafood 

 Science and Technology Theme Team and rip 

 current education efforts also were cited, as was 

 legislative support for the Fishery Resource Grant 

 and Blue Crab Research programs. 



The review team focused on program 

 results — underscoring the Sea Grant mission 

 of applied research and subsequent outreach. 

 "The impacts seen in coastal processes, beach 

 nourishment and salt marsh enhancement, 

 shellfish growout, creating value-added seafood 

 products, adoption of coastal construction 

 techniques into building codes, urban 

 stormwater runoff reduction due to stream 

 restoration, and in many areas of aquaculture are 

 particularly noteworthy," the report stated. 



Other examples of outstanding efforts 

 cited were: breakthroughs in surimi and tuna 

 processing; culture processes for hybrid striped 

 bass and flounder, workshops for real estate 

 agents and brokers; training of coastal businesses 

 in marketing for coastal paddlers and birders; 

 and training seafood producers in seafood safety. 



-K.M. 



In the Next Issue of Coastwatch 



As the holidays focus on family and tradition, Kathleen Angione introduces Muzel Bryant, 

 who, at age 1 00, is one of Ocracoke's most cherished residents. And readers will join Pam Smith 

 on a holiday tour of North Carolina's southern coast. Meanwhile, Ann Green explores 

 shrimping with skimmer trawls and the more traditional otter trawls. 



2 AUTUMN 2004 



