FROM THE EDITOR 



Get out those new calendars! 



As we settle into 2006. calendars are filling quickly. North Carolina Sea 

 Grant will sponsor or cosponsor many events and projects this year. 



As always, you will find several Sea Grant items highlighted in the 

 Coastal Tidings section of this issue — but there are many more to come. 



Below is a sampling of activities in the planning stages as we go to press. 

 I hope you will take a moment to visit www.ncseagrant.org and check for news 

 releases and updates to our calendar. If you do not have Internet access, call 

 919/5 15-2454 for more information. 



• Several candidates for director of North Carolina Sea Grant will 

 present public seminars in Raleigh in mid-February. The sessions will focus on 

 their visions for North Carolina Sea Grant. A new director will fill the opening 

 when Ronald Hodson retires June 30. 



• Sea Grant and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) will 

 co-sponsor a Fisheries Forum on March 14 in New Bern. The program will 

 include research results from the N.C. Fishery Resource Grant Program and 

 the N.C. Blue Crab Research Program, as well as updates from DMF and the 

 N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission. 



• Sea Grant's November workshop on handling tuna drew a capacity 

 crowd. A DVD of the presentations and demonstration will be available soon, 

 along with a waterproof instructional "deck card" and an online presentation. 



• The Coastal Conference on Ecosystem-Based Approaches to 

 Management in the Southeast Region will be March 19 - 21 in Wrights ville 

 Beach. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the University 

 of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the College of Charleston will host 



the event. Sea Grant and the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund are 

 among cosponsors. 



• Oyster reefs not only provide food for humans and habitat for fish, but 

 they also serve as an indicator of the health of our coast. A set of regional field 

 trips this spring will highlight oyster reef restoration partnerships. Sponsors 

 include the N.C. Coastal Federation, the N.C. Department of Environment and 

 Natural Resources, and Sea Grant. 



• The pace of development in the coastal region shows no signs of 

 slowing. Thus, Sea Grant expects to gather various partner agencies and the 

 public for a "Coastal Change Summit" in late spring. Look for details in the 

 next issue of Coastwatch. 



• Applications are due Jan. 30 for research proposals to reduce bycatch 

 and entanglements of marine mammals — in particular bottlenose dolphins, 

 pilot whales and Risso's dolphins. The research program is funded by the 

 National Marine Fisheries Service and administered by North Carolina Sea Grant. 



• Watch for spring application deadlines for Sea Grant-sponsored 

 graduate fellowships in policy, marine fisheries and science communications. 



COASTWATCH SURVEY PLANNED 



Sea Grant researcher Hans Vogelsong of East Carolina University will 

 conduct a survey of Coastwatch readers early this year. 



If you are selected in the random sampling of those who receive our 

 magazine, I encourage you to take a few moments to share your views on 

 Coastwatch and North Carolina Sea Grant. 



If you are not selected for the survey, we still welcome your comments 

 — simply send in the comment card inside each issue, or send an e-mail to 

 katie_mosher@ncsu.edu. 



Hans will report on the findings later this year. We anticipate the results 

 will help us improve the publication, and identify its impact within the state. 



Of course, we hope that reading Coastwatch is not only an enjoyable 

 activity, but also one that provides useful information on important coastal 

 topics. 



Katie Mosher, Managing Editor 



CLARIFICATION: In the Holiday 2005 issue o/Coastwatch, we incorrectly 

 described the sinking of the USS Monitor. Tlie Monitor sank during a storm off 

 Cape Hatteras, on Dec. 31, 1862, less than a year after its historic Civil War 

 battle with the CSS Virginia 



IN THIS ISSUE 



Contributing Writers: 

 Kathleen Angione □ Ann Green □ Julie Powers □ Erin Selling 



Contributing Photographers: 

 Ken Blevins □ Ron Hodson □ Barry Nash □ J. Smith 

 Scott Taylor □ Dave Williams □ Teresa Thorpe 



North Carolina's diverse coast offers countless interesting subjects. 

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

 including Onslow, Beaufort and Carteret Counties. 



