"n 



Lyown East Carteret County will 

 be highlighted in a new project funded by 

 the NOAA Preserve America Initiative. 



"We will be helping to document, 

 preserve and interpret the work programs 

 and knowledge of Down East commercial 

 fishing communities in Carteret County," 

 says Gretchen Bath Martin of NOAA Fisher- 

 ies Service in Beaufort. She recently received 

 a $25,000 grant for the partnership project. 



Martin will join with the Core Sound 

 Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center on 

 Harkers Island, the Conservation Fund, the 

 N.C. Department of Cultural Resources 

 and NOAA fisheries Office of Science and 

 Technology. 



The funding will help the 

 communities develop heritage tours 

 and interactive educational exhibits that 

 showcase the Down East fishing heritage. 



The NOAA Beaufort Lab, formerly 

 the Bureau of Commercial Fishenes, has 

 been involved with local commercial 

 fisheries for more than a century. Research 

 and commercial fishing activities have 

 been documented in books, maps, charts, 

 photographs, slides and microfiche housed 

 in the Beaufort facility. 



The Preserve America Initiative 

 Grant Program is in its second year and is 

 designed to stimulate efforts within NOAA 

 to preserve, protect and promote the 

 agency's heritage assets, and foster tourism 

 in partnership with local communities. 



To find out more about the Preserve 

 America Initiative, visit www.preserveamerica. 

 noaa.gov. 



For more information about this 

 project, contact Martin at 252/728-8794, 

 or by e-mail, gretchen.bath.martin@noaa.gov. 



-A.G. 



COASTAL 



TIDINGS 



Museum Features Seashell Art 



Ar 



Artists are often inspired by the beauty and shape of seashells. 

 To showcase seashell art in different media, the N.C. Museum of Natural Science's Nature 

 Gallery will sponsor "Shells: Inside and Out" 

 from Aug. 4 to Oct. 1 . 



The show will feature work by four 

 artists, including acrylic and oil paintings by 

 Marilynn Brandenburger of Georgia, and 

 Heidi Fowler of Virginia. 



The exhibit also will feature x-ray 

 photos by Don Dudenbostel, as well as a 

 glass sculpture by Thomas Spake. 



The opening reception for the artists 

 is Friday, Aug. 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the 

 museum gallery. 



For more information, visit www.natural 

 sciences.org or call 919/733-7450, ext. 369. 



-A.G. 



Data Shows Declining Harvest 



The 



I he 2005 commercial harvest of finfish and 

 shellfish was the smallest on record, according to 

 N.C. Division of Marine Fishenes (DMF). Fishery 

 landings data released by DMF shows that 79 

 million pounds were harvested, valued at $64.9 

 million dollars, a decline from previous years. 



"Fluctuations in landings are expected to 

 some degree," says Preston Pate, DMF director. 

 But the downward trend that DMF has seen 

 in recent years reflects a longer-term change 

 in the fisheries. The change results from many 

 factors, including foreign competition, loss of 

 infrastructure, declining participation and shifts to 

 fisheries in other states, he adds. 



"We should all be concerned about the 

 declining value of this socially and economically 

 important industry," Pate says. 



The 2005 menhaden catch was only 13.3 

 million pounds. Menhaden landings are highly 

 variable and have fluctuated from the current low 

 of 13.3 million pounds to more than 300 million 

 pounds, depending on the amount of effort by 

 the commercial industry. Low effort and low 

 landings had a significant affect on the overall 

 2005 harvest totals. 



Other fisheries experiencing declines were 

 hard blue crabs and shrimp — mainstays of 

 the industry. Shrimp landings were 2.3 million 



pounds, down from the previous five-year average 

 of 7.3 million pounds. Hard crab harvest was 

 25.6 million pounds, compared to the previous 

 five-year average of 36 million pounds. The higher 

 cost of fuel, lower market value of shrimp due to 

 imports, and the scarcity of crabs and shrimp all 

 contributed to lower landings, according to DMF. 



Oysters, a fishery previously on the decline, 

 is showing an increase. In 2005, harvesters 

 brought in 71 ,479 bushels — an increase over 

 the 69,501 bushels landed in 2004 and above 

 the previous five-year average of 50,431 bushels. 

 DMF attributes this gain to favorable growing 

 conditions, including higher rainfall. 



While many commercial fisheries 

 experienced declines, recreational fishing 

 increased in 2005, with most of the growth 

 from out-of-state fishers, according to DMF. 

 Recreational anglers caught 5.5 million pounds of 

 yellowfin tuna and 5.1 million pounds of dolphin. 



There also was a slight decline in estimated 

 harvest from people who hold the Recreational 

 Commercial Gear License (RCGL). The RCGL 

 allows recreational fishers to use limited amounts 

 of commercial gear to harvest seafood for 

 personal consumption. The top species harvest 

 by RCGL gear in 2005 was spot, with 1 93,769 

 pounds caught. — E.S. 



4 Coastwatch I High Season 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 



