Coastwatch F I S H E R I E S R E F O R M A C T • S E X I N T H E S E A • S C E N I C B Y W A Y • G R I L L E D S E A F O O D
N O R T H C A R O L I N A S E A G R A N T • S U M M E R • 2 0 1 7 • I S S U E 3 • $ 3 . 7 5
CHASING THE MOON’S SHADOW:
Total Solar Eclipse Draws Eyes Skyward
Alamance
Alexander
Alleghany
Anson
Ashe
Beaufort
Bertie
Bladen
Burke
Cabarrus
Caldwell
Caswell
Catawba
Chatham
Clay
Cleveland
Columbus
Craven
Cumberland
Davidson Dare
Davie
Duplin
Durham
Franklin Edgecombe
Gaston
Gates
Graham
Granville
Greene
Halifax
Harnett
Henderson
Hoke
Hyde
Iredell
Jackson
Johnston
Jones
Lenoir
Lincoln
McDowell
Macon
Madison
Martin
Mitchell
Moore
Nash
Northampton
Onslow
Orange
Pamlico
Pender
Person
Pitt
Polk
Robeson
Rowan
Rutherford
Sampson
Scotland
Stanly
Stokes
Surry
Swain
Transylvania
Tyrrell
Union
Vance
Wake
Warren
Washington
Watauga
Wayne
Wilkes
Wilson
Yadkin
Yancey
PKY
40
40
40
85 95
77 85
26
Asheville
Asheboro
Greensboro Durham
Charlotte
Raleigh
Nags
Head
Washington
Jacksonville
Wilmington
Fayetteville
Morehead City
New Bern
Rocky Mount
Winston-Salem
Haywood
Buncombe
Avery
Pasquotank
Perquimans
Currituck
Camden
Chowan
Randolph
Montgomery
Mecklenburg
Rockingham
Lee
Richmond
Forsyth Guilford
Carteret
Hertford
Brunswick
Cherokee
New Hanover
I N T H I S I S S U E
Contributing Writers:
Danielle Costantini Diana Hackenburg Terri Kirby Hathaway
Marisa Incremona E-Ching Lee Katie Mosher
Kathleen Onorevole Gregory Sorg Joyce Taylor Susan West
Contributing Photographers:
Peter Aniol Martin Dietzel Miloslav Druckmüller
Romeo Durscher Jon Gardiner Barbara Garrity-Blake
Diana Hackenburg Katie Hall Chris Hannant John Joyner
Becky Kirkland Doug Knight Vanda Lewis Niels Lindquist
Sara Mirabilio Kathleen Onorevole Vojtech Rušin Amy Sayle
Jack Thigpen Susan West Roger Winstead
North Carolina’s diverse coast offers countless interesting subjects.
The map indicates story settings in this issue —
including Wake and Carteret counties, and Albemarle Sound.
Coastwatch Growing up, my summers rotated, without a doubt, around the sun.
Outside in rural Orange County, on the beach at Emerald Isle or camping
in Boone: If the sun was out, so was I.
This summer is no different for my children, now 5 and 7. I revisit
our state through their eyes and observations. Sometimes it’s a walk down
memory lane. More often than not, it’s a new learning experience just
around the next bend.
Our beaches and soundside communities indeed have changed
over my lifetime. Yet their beauty and bounties persist in so many ways.
Similarly, this issue of Coastwatch takes you on a range of explorations.
Recollections from state leaders who were instrumental in
developing the 1997 Fisheries Reform Act document the historical
context, as well as the important lessons learned, as this legislation marks
its 20th year. Resulting interviews, podcasts and discussion guides will
support constructive discussions moving forward.
As one of 150 nationally designated byways, the Outer Banks Scenic
Byway is among destinations to consider this year. Exploring the rich
history and culture through Dare, Hyde and Carteret counties enhances
a growing sustainable tourism effort that celebrates, and supports, these
unique communities.
I am especially excited about the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse that the
southwestern tip of North Carolina will experience. The rest of our state
will see a partial eclipse, with about 90 percent coverage of the sun for
a few hours that afternoon. Our last total solar eclipse in the state was in
1970. The next one over North America will be well to our south in 2024.
Thus, truly, if you can get in the path of “totality,” it’s going to
be spectacular. In addition to the activities mentioned starting on page
16, researchers from East Carolina University, with N.C. Space Grant
funding, will measure how the partial eclipse affects conditions in the
lower atmosphere.
Here Comes the Sun: Illuminating Summer Fun, Sea Grant Stories
F R O M T H E E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R
I share this news with you in my additional role as interim director
for Space Grant. Sea Grant and Space Grant programs here collaborate
to support graduate research that links NOAA and NASA resources to
address N.C. coastal resource management needs.
Sea Grant has a long history of working with local, state, federal
and nonprofit efforts to support research and education needed to position
our state to respond to current and emerging challenges. In April, North
Carolina’s Coastal Conference, with the support of sponsors from across
the state, provided an excellent forum for discussion — and a platform
on which partnerships will be built and/or expanded to address these
challenges.
I appreciate the many North Carolina Sea Grant partners across
the state and nation who regularly reach out to voice their support of our
team’s work and the on-the-ground impacts our program has delivered for
over 50 years. We continue to need your support and engagement.
I welcome your stories on how our Sea Grant research results
and staff engagement benefit your work and family life, or the wider
community. I also seek input on areas where our program can collaborate
on future challenges. Please email me at snwhite3@ncsu.edu to share your
thoughts. I encourage you also to let your elected officials know how you,
too, value North Carolina Sea Grant.
The video at go.ncsu.edu/NCSGvideo offers a glimpse of the
breadth of Sea Grant’s work. Thanks to our friends who have shared the
link via social media.
The sun will indeed continue to shine upon our waters, both inland
and at the shore. This summer, I hope you will spend time exploring our
coast. Do as I’ve done for years: skipping and hopping across hot sand
to find and enjoy the marsh and tidepool critters — and the marginally
cooler summer waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
—Susan White, Executive Director, North Carolina Sea Grant
F E A T U R E S
COASTAL TIDINGS................................................................................... 2
REELING IN HISTORY:
DOCUMENTING THE 1997 FISHERIES REFORM ACT
Susan West highlights the challenges and successes of the landmark act. ....6
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT
SEX IN THE SEA
Terri Kirby Hathaway outlines reproduction under water. .......................... 12
A MOMENT OUT OF THE SUN
Are you ready for the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21? North Carolina
Space Grant is. ................................................................................................. 16
• Flying Up
Students from Lenoir-Rhyne University will capture images of the
eclipse. .......................................................................................................... 19
• Community Colleges Compete in Ballooning Challenge
Teams across the state launch high-altitude balloons. .......................... 20
SEA SCIENCE: Growing Better Bivalves:
Science, Local Knowledge Enhance N.C. Business
A fisherman and a scientist walk into a reef. Katie Mosher explains. ......... 21
• Restoring Our Oysters: Dealing with the Sponge Problem
Gregory Sorg is working on a substrate that can withstand oyster
pests. ............................................................................................................ 24
PEOPLE AND PLACES: Discovering Down East on the
Outer Banks National Scenic Byway
Kathleen Onorevole meets the folks and sees the sights on a trip through
the central coast. .............................................................................................. 26
CURRENTS:
• Resilience at the Coast: Conference Features Science and Policy
Katie Mosher shares highlights from North Carolina’s Coastal
Conference. ................................................................................................. 30
• WRRI Conference Brings Together More Than Research
Diana Hackenbug recaps the events of the annual water conference
featuring The Nile Project. ......................................................................... 32
MARINER’S MENU: Where There’s Smoke,
There’s Grilled Seafood
Fire up the grill and bring on the seafood this summer. ............................. 34
ON THE WATER: Crab Pots Collected from Coastal Waters
Learn about the efforts to clean up lost crab pots. ........................................ 36
LAST WORD: Rip Current Poster
Be safe as beach season heats up. This poster explains how. ....................... 37
coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 1
Coastwatch
NWS Compiles Beach
Information Online
This summer, the National Weather Service
offers information about North Carolina
beaches at a glance.
Go to www.weather.gov/beach and click
on umbrella icons along the state’s coast to
get detailed updates from NWS offices in
Newport/Morehead City, Wilmington and
Wakefield in Virginia.
“The beachgoer has access to all pertinent beach information on one page — rip current risk,
UV index, water temperatures and weather conditions,” says Tom Lonka, an NWS meteorologist in
Newport/Morehead City.
The landing page also includes links to information on general beach, boating and lightning
safety, and common precautions.
Go to page 37 to learn how to Break the Grip of the Rip! ® 	 	 — E.L.
2 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
NATIONALOCEANICANDATMOSPHERICADMINISTRATION
U S DEPARTMENTOFCOMMERCE
Coastwatch North Carolina Sea Grant • 2017 • Summer • Issue 3
Editor
Katie Mosher
Managing Editor
E-Ching Lee
Contributing Editors
Debbi Sykes Braswell
Diana Hackenburg
Designer
Linda Noble
Circulation Manager
Sandra Harris
The North Carolina Sea Grant College Program
is a federal/state program that promotes
stewardship of coastal and marine resources
through research and outreach.
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, an extension program
and a communications staff.
Susan White is executive 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;
USPS Periodical # 010464) is published
five times a year (January/February, March/April/May,
June/July, August/September/October, November/
December) 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 $15.
Email: eching_lee@ncsu.edu,
katie_mosher@ncsu.edu
URL: ncseagrant.org
Periodical 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.
FRONT COVER: Photo of a total solar eclipse in
2008, courtesy NASA, by Miloslav Druckmüller,
Peter Aniol, Martin Dietzel and Vojtech Rušin.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Graphic based on photo of green-gill oysters
courtesy Niels Lindquist.
PRINTED O N R ECYCLED PAPER.
The experimental
beach forecast
gathers pertinent
information on
one page.
Harrison, Nash
Receive Recognition
North Carolina Sea Grant’s team continues
to expand their reach to meet statewide needs.
“I am very pleased that our extension staff
seek to expand their knowledge and to build on
existing partnerships to make their work even
more relevant to the communities we serve,”
says Jack Thigpen, Sea Grant extension director.
Jane Harrison, Sea Grant coastal
economics specialist, recently completed a
program through NC State University’s Equal
Opportunity Institute. Participants focus on
issues in the workplace and also develop skills
to excel in varied professional and academic
environments.
Her research has included economic
and workforce development with high-school
students in eastern North Carolina and
fishermen along the Atlantic Coast. With
colleagues from Sea Grant programs across
the country, Harrison is documenting best
practices and developing recommendations
for the national network to broaden the reach
of, and increase inclusion in, activities.
The institute, part of NC State’s Office
for Institutional Equity and Diversity, offers the
professional-development certificate to students
and employees, as well as the public. For more
information, go to oied.ncsu.edu/eoi.
Barry Nash, Sea Grant’s seafood
technology and marketing specialist, was part of
a group recognized by the N.C. Association
of Cooperative Extension Specialists.
He received the Outstanding Subject
Matter Program by a Team award for the N.C.
Growing Together Project. The project, led by
NC State’s horticultural science department
faculty member Rebecca Dunning, is an
initiative of the Center for Environmental
Farming Systems.
This U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded
project seeks to bring more locally
grown foods, produce, meat, dairy and seafood
into mainstream retail and food-service supply
chains. They want to increase consumers’
access to local foods and to strengthen small
to mid-sized farm and fishing operations.
Nash’s online guide and webinar for small
food producers, available at go.ncsu.edu/oq7r7s,
offers information on creating successful, value-added
foods and links to important resources
for product development. — E.L.
Jane Harrison, left, receives her certificate from Beverly
Jones Williams at NC State’s Office for Institutional
Equity and Diversity.
Courtesy National Weather Service
Jack Thigpen
C O A S T A L T I D I N G S
coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 3
Katie Hall/N.C. State Parks
C O A S T A L T I D I N G S Hurricane Hunters
Draw Crowd in
North Carolina
A large crowd gathered at Raleigh-
Durham International Airport in May
to see aircraft and pilots that fly straight
into the heart of deadly storms. These
“hurricane hunters” were on display as part
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration’s East Coast Hurricane
Awareness Tour.
Hurricane experts showed off the
U.S. Air Force Reserve WC-130J aircraft,
along with the smaller NOAA G-IV aircraft.
Military crews aboard the WC-130J fly
directly into storms, collecting real-time
information to help forecasters track a
hurricane’s movements. With an ability
to fly high, fast and far, the G-IV cruises
in the upper atmosphere above storm
systems, dropping instruments to gather
data to map the currents that influence a
hurricane’s path.
Local, state and national
organizations, including North Carolina
Sea Grant, provided visitors with
information about weather and other
statewide issues. Sea Grant serves as a
Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador,
promoting and engaging the public in
efforts to build readiness and resilience
against extreme weather events.
To learn more about the N.C. event,
visit go.ncsu.edu/hurricanehunters.
Additional information and resources
shared during Hurricane Preparedness
Week can be found at www.weather.gov/wrn/
hurricane-preparedness. Sea Grant also has
North Carolina-specific resources on
what to do before, during and after
storm-related flooding at ncseagrant.ncsu.
edu/floodguide. 	 — D.H.
Long lines formed for tours of the WC-130J
Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
Fort Fisher Beach Facilities Get Facelift
Summer visitors to the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area in New Hanover County will enjoy several updates.
Renovations to restrooms, picnic areas and the visitor complex are part of a $488,000 investment financed through
the Connect NC bond referendum approved by voters in 2016. To celebrate the state parks’ focus on beach safety,
North Carolina Sea Grant provided two bilingual signs for rip current awareness. Parks officials purchased additional
signs for Fort Fisher and other coastal locations. 	 	 	 	 — K.M.
Jack Thigpen
NC Ocean
Sciences Team
Places Third
A team of high-school students
from the North Carolina School
of Science and Mathematics took
third place at the 2017 National
Ocean Sciences Bowl. The
competition took place April 23
to 27 in Corvallis, Oregon.
Twenty-five teams
representing 33 states
participated in this year’s finals.
Students from Santa Monica High School in California placed first overall.
The NCSSM team also placed third in the science expert briefing — a mock congressional
hearing — and had the highest score for team challenge questions. They received H20 Ninja Snorkel
masks as prizes.
Coached by teacher Amanda Martyn, students of the winning team included Raymond Gao,
Shiv Patel, Vincent Xia, Kenneth Xu and Emily Zheng. Xu and Zheng detailed their preparations for
the competition at go.ncsu.edu/2017blueheronbowl.
In addition to the national contest, students participated in field trips and a beach cleanup.
All NOSB events, including regional qualifiers like North Carolina’s Blue Heron Bowl, work to
expose students to ocean science and related careers.
"NOSB allowed me to see like-minded individuals and further inspired me to pursue a career
related to the environment. With a dedication and passion for the oceans, I can be a leader and
explorer just like Sylvia Earle is, saving the oceans one fish at a time,” says team member Xia about
his experience.
The 2018 Blue Heron Bowl, co-sponsored by North Carolina Sea Grant, will be hosted by the
University of North Carolina Wilmington next February. The 2018 National Ocean Sciences Bowl
will be held at the University of Colorado Boulder next April. 	 	 — D.H.
Students from the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
took third place in the National Ocean Sciences Bowl.
Courtesy N.C. School of Science and Mathematics
Sierra Woodruff, past North Carolina Sea Grant
coastal policy fellow, received two awards for her
work on climate change adaptation planning.
Woodruff was among 12 recipients of the
2017 Graduate Education Advancement Board
Impact Award from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. These awards recognize
graduate students’ contributions to North
Carolina’s communities and citizens.
In addition, Woodruff received the
Graduate School Dean’s Distinguished
Dissertation Award, for doctoral work that is
original and innovative.
Woodruff evaluated current U.S. climate
change adaptation plans for improvement. She
then identified specific ways to improve North
Carolina’s adaptation planning.
“The Sea Grant policy fellowship ignited
my interest in this field and enabled me to
develop tools to analyze how cities are planning
for climate change,”
Woodruff says. She has
written a handbook that
helps North Carolina
communities plan for
climate change.
“Sierra has created
an entirely new way of
evaluating the quality
of climate adaptation
plans, which can focus
on the unique needs and
situation of a community,” explains advisor
Todd BenDor.
Currently, Woodruff is a postdoctoral
research associate at the Notre Dame Global
Adaptation Initiative. In the fall, she will join
the Department of Landscape Architecture
and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University.
	 	 — M.I.
4 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Carter Smith will survey coastal homeowners for their
perceptions of sea-level rise and ecosystem services.
Courtesy UNC Research
A young visitor enjoys the Sea Grant booth at Day at
the Docks in Hatteras.
Coastal Calendar
Want to get a firsthand look at how
birds fly? Look no further than the North
Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
as it hosts Bird’s Eye View: Free Flight
Bird Show. This live demonstration at Big
Rock Theater highlights birds native to
the state and how they soar through the
sky. To learn more about the event, go to
ncaquariums.com/pine-knoll-shores.
Get ready to celebrate the flavors of
North Carolina with upcoming festivals
highlighting the heritage and culture of
local fishing communities.
Honor the spirit of Hatteras with Day at
the Docks, a celebration of history and
resilience. Come join the Hatteras Village
community along the waterfront Friday
and Saturday, Sept. 15 and 16. For more
information, visit outerbanks.org/top-obx-events/.
The N.C. Seafood Festival, held in
Morehead City, showcases the bounty
of the sea. Visit from Oct. 6 to 8 for a
weekend of concerts, local vendors and,
of course, the local cuisine. To learn more,
visit ncseafoodfestival.org.
Join the Town of Nags Head as it hosts the
Outer Banks Seafood Festival. For a day of
music, sun and food, visit Oct. 21. Details
are at outerbanksseafoodfestival.org. — D.C.
Sara Mirabilio
C O A S T A L T I D I N G S
Former Fellow Earns Honors
Graduate Fellow
to Survey Coastal
Homeowners
Carter Smith is the recipient of the 2017
Joint Graduate Fellowship funded by North
Carolina Sea Grant and the N.C. Sentinel Site
Cooperative, or NCSSC.
Smith is a doctoral candidate at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s
Institute of Marine Sciences with Charles
Peterson, a marine conservation ecologist.
She will study the effects of sea-level rise and
storm events in Carteret, Dare and Brunswick
counties.
Her survey of homeowners will identify
attitudes and perceptions of sea-level rise
and risk in the context of ecosystem services,
shoreline hardening and coastal resiliency.
This project was inspired by Smith’s previous
coastal policy fellowship with Sea Grant where
she studied how different types of shorelines
protected properties during hurricane events.
“This current project will build upon
that field research by incorporating surveys of
coastal N.C. residents to assess perceptions
about hurricane and sea-level rise risk,” Smith
explains.
Data from the project will help coastal
managers inform stakeholders about climate
change and coastal resilience adaptation.
Smith also holds the P.E.O. Scholar
Award for women pursuing doctoral degrees,
the National Science Foundation East Asia
and Pacific Summer Institutes for graduate
students, and the Royster Society Fellowship
and a mentoring award for UNC-CH graduate
students.
NCSSC is part of the NOAA Sentinel
Site Program that provides information on
potential effects of sea-level rise on coastal
habitats. Find more at oceanservice.noaa.gov/
sentinelsites.
For more information about Sea Grant
fellowships, go to ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/fellowships.
	 	 — E.L.
Courtesy UNC-CH
Sierra Woodruff
coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 5
Thom Teears will be studying
North Carolina’s sheepshead population.
New NC Sea Grant/
DMF Fellow to Study
Sheepshead
Thom Teears has been named the 2017
North Carolina Sea Grant/North Carolina
Division of Marine Fisheries joint fellow.
He will perform a stock assessment of
sheepshead, in collaboration with DMF.
Found year-round in North
Carolina’s coastal waters, sheepshead,
Archosargus probatocephalus, are harvested
by commercial and recreational fishermen.
Despite their popularity, limited data on
their abundance currently exist, prompting
Teear’s study.
“Accurate assessment of data-limited
species like sheepshead is vital for allowing
fishing, while preventing overfishing of the
natural fish stocks,” Teears explains. He
will gain experience with techniques to
assess stocks with limited data, and learn
how the results can be applied to marine
fisheries management in North Carolina.
Teears, who grew up in West Palm
Beach, Florida, earned his master’s degree
from James Madison University in Virginia
under the advisement of Christine May.
He also holds a bachelor’s degree in
biology with a marine emphasis from
Western Washington University.
This fellowship, based in Morehead
City, is patterned after the national
Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. The
projects provide a professional education
and training opportunity to the fellow,
and assist the state in marine fisheries
management concerns.
For more information, visit ncseagrant.
ncsu.edu/ncsg-dmf-fellowship. — D.H.
Looking Forward: Rosenwald River Center
N ow in its 20th year, Roanoke River Partners
has big plans for the future.
Known as RRP, this grassroots nonprofit’s
current priority is completing renovations on
the Rosenwald River Center. The center will be
housed in the historic Hamilton Rosenwald
School — formerly known as the Hamilton
Colored School — in Martin County.
The school is part of the legacy of Julius
Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington, who
built over 5,000 schools in the South for African-
American children in the early 20th century.
“Upon completion, this historical site will
be repurposed as: a river/community center; an
interpretive site to share the regional Rosenwald
story, as well as the Roanoke River’s role in the
Underground Railroad; and as an economic
engine to cultivate and connect ecotourism and
cultural heritage initiatives throughout the
Roanoke River region,” explains RRP Director
Carol Shields.
With the 100th anniversary of the
Hamilton Rosenwald School three years away,
Shields hopes RRP will be able to celebrate the
occasion with the opening of the new center.
RRP is best known for its camping system,
which includes 16 platforms and sites along
the Roanoke River Paddle Trail. Currently, the
water trail covers 200 miles and stretches from
just south of the Virginia border down to the
Albemarle Sound.
To plan a trip along the paddle trail,
visit www.roanokeriverpartners.org. For more
information about the Rosenwald River
Center, contact Shields at director@
roanokeriverpartners.org. — M.I.
Roanoke River Partners plans to open the Rosenwald River Center in the
building that formerly housed the Hamilton Colored School.
Courtesy Carol Shields
NC Student Selected as Coastal
Management Fellow
Emily Hall, a recent master’s graduate of Duke University, will begin a two-year
position as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal
Management Fellow in August.
Hall, who was nominated by North Carolina Sea Grant, will work with
the Connecticut Coastal Management Program. She will collaborate with
	
an advisory committee, partners and stakeholders to integrate and finalize
the Long Island Sound Blue Plan, a marine spatial planning document for
the sound.
“What drew me to the Coastal Management Fellowship is that a fellow
not only has the opportunity to dive deep into a current coastal management issue or project, but
also has a range of professional development opportunities to take advantage of,” Hall explains.
“With my interest in stakeholder engagement and background in marine planning, I am really
looking forward to becoming a part of the Blue Plan.”
Hall holds a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke and a bachelor’s degree
in conservation biology from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and
Forestry in Syracuse. She is from Copiague, New York.
Managed by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, the fellowship offers on-the-job training
for postgraduate students in coastal resource management and policy. Candidates are matched
with state coastal zone programs, similar to the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, to work on
select projects chosen by NOAA. Sea Grant recruits and nominates candidates from our state.
For more on state and federal fellowships, go to ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/fellowships. — E.L.
Courtesy Emily Hall
Vanda Lewis
Emily Hall
REELING IN Documenting the
1997 Fisheries
Reform Act
B Y S U S A N W E S T
Reeling in 6 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Roger Winstead/NC State Communications
An oral history project funded by North Carolina
Sea Grant and the William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for
Engineering, Technology and Science captured the
voices of those involved in the 1997 N.C. Fisheries
Reform Act.
IN HISTORY
History:
coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 7
The 1997 Fisheries Reform Act
significantly changed the fisheries
management process in North Carolina.
Before the act, there were no
comprehensive management plans for
important fish and shellfish species.
Anyone with $35 could buy a commercial
fishing license, opportunities for public
participation in management were few,
and the board that sets fisheries policy,
the North Carolina Marine Fisheries
Commission, was extraordinarily large
with 17 members.
“We had this regulation passed, that
regulation passed. I called it ‘regulation by
ambush.’ There was no rhyme or reason
to it,” recalled recreational fisherman and
Selma attorney Bob Lucas, describing how
management decisions were made when he
became chair of the N.C. Marine Fisheries
Commission in 1993. C o n t i n u e d
8 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Management challenges were snowballing. Commercial-fishing landings had declined and uncertainty about the health of fish stocks loomed large. Massive fish kills due to pollution were occurring on the Neuse and other rivers.
Conflicts between commercial and recreational fishermen were becoming more common. Environmental advocates worried that pressure on fish stocks could reach a tipping point if commercial fishermen from states that had adopted net bans moved to North Carolina.
“A number of issues were on the table at that time, but the largest issue was that of controlling fishing effort and the fear that the numbers of commercial fishermen were going to rise drastically,” said Jerry Schill, who was executive director of the commercial-fishing trade organization, the North Carolina Fisheries Association.
Confidence in the state’s ability to protect fish stocks had plummeted.
“We had a Marine Fisheries Division that, from my perspective, was totally incompetent, and a Fisheries Commission that seemed either so pro-commercial or conversely pro-sport, that there was never any ability to come together around consensus,” explained now former governor Beverly Perdue. She represented Craven, Carteret and Pamlico counties in the North Carolina Senate in the 1990s.
Last year, Perdue, Schill, Lucas and other key figures in North Carolina fisheries talked about the successes, shortcomings and future capacity of the landmark legislation. Researchers working on the 1997 North Carolina Fisheries Reform Act: An Oral History project also asked them about the environmental and social conditions that gave rise to the changes.
UNCOVERING HISTORY
Interviewees were selected based on the depth of their personal involvement with the Reform Act and their willingness to participate, as well as how they represented the diversity of stakeholders involved in the legislation.
The recorded oral history interviews and a series of podcasts, featuring excerpts from the recordings, are now available online. The N.C. Community Collaborative Research Grant Program — supported by North Carolina Sea Grant in partnership with the William R. Kenan Jr. Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science — funded the project.
Collaborators brought knowledge of the management process and coastal ecosystems, and skills in oral history interviewing, archival science and audio podcasting to the project. I was principal investigator. Jimmy Johnson, coastal habitats coordinator with the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership, was co-principal investigator.
I had served on the N.C. Fisheries Moratorium Steering Committee, a group of 19 legislators, scientists, resource managers and fishermen appointed by the state legislature in 1994. We oversaw a study of the fisheries management process while a moratorium on new, nonemergency fishing regulations and the sale of new commercial fishing licenses was in place.
“The tension was so high that the only thing that we could do was move forward with some kind of legislation that would at least put a hiatus out there, a brief timeout where we could intelligently, and perhaps without emotion, evaluate where we were and where we wanted to go as a state,” Perdue said in her interview, describing why legislators instituted the moratorium.
The study committee’s recommendations on ways to improve the management process set the pace for Reform Act negotiations.
Johnson’s background includes chairmanship of the Marine Fisheries Commission shortly after the act became law. Under his leadership, the first comprehensive fishery management plan was developed for the blue crab fishery, the most valuable commercial fishery in the state.
Project team member Barbara Garrity-Blake, cultural anthropologist and adjunct professor at Duke University Marine Lab, also had served on the Moratorium Steering
• ABOVE: In 1994, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a moratorium on all new commercial fishing licenses.
Roger Winstead/NC State Communicationscoastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 9
Committee and later on the Marine Fisheries Commission, where she co-chaired the habitat and water quality advisory committee.
Archivist and public historian Mary Williford transcribed the interviews and cataloged the recordings and transcriptions in an online collection. Karen Amspacher, Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center executive director, supplied the Carolina Coastal Voices website as a repository for the collection.
The team created a variety of online educational products, including a podcast series and discussion guide, to facilitate public access to the interviews.
Sandra Davidson, Ryan Stancil and Baxter Miller, founders of Bit & Grain, a digital documentary publication, produced the podcasts. The three episodes examine the state of fisheries in the early 1990s, explore the path from the moratorium to law, and look at the act’s successes and shortcomings. Each episode is less than 25 minutes long and can be played on a computer or smartphone.
FINDING THEMES
Team members also analyzed the content of the interviews, identifying points of agreement, disagreement and recurrent themes.
The analysis showed strong overall confidence in the Reform Act as a management framework for protecting coastal fishery resources and for balancing the interests of different stakeholder groups. Faith in the capacity of the act, however, didn’t blind interviewees to ideas for improvement or concern that key tenets had fallen to the wayside in the 20 years since its passage.
“The blueprint, if you will, of the Fisheries Reform Act, even today, will work. It will work. But you have to follow it. And even though it’s there, there’s still that human inclination to want to bypass it,” Lucas cautioned.
Other interviewees, including Jess Hawkins, a former Division of Marine Fisheries employee who was the liaison between the agency and the Marine Fisheries Commission, voiced concern that opportunities for citizen participation have been reduced in recent years.
“The Fisheries Reform Act is not fulfilling what its visionaries had intended it to be. Some advisory committees were eliminated. The committees no longer meet frequently to try to be progressive and proactive in dealing with issues. They became reactive,” Hawkins said.
Interviewees agreed that fishery management plans supported by strong scientific evidence are the keystone of the act.
“The greatest success of the Reform Act is managing fisheries by management plan, and not by guess and by gosh,” said Dick Brame, executive director of the N.C. Coastal Conservation Association, a recreational fishing group, from 1989 to 1999.
“But fishery populations are moving, and we have to be able to adapt and be able to manage fisheries we have never seen before, and we are going to lose fisheries that we’ve had for a long time. Managing by fishery management plan hopefully would promulgate that,” Brame continued.
C o n t i n u e d
• TOP, left to right: Interviewees represented the diversity of stakeholders involved in creation of the Reform Act. • Bit & Grain helped develop a podcast series based on the oral history interviews. • Interviewee and former North Carolina Sea Grant director B.J. Copeland back in the 1970s. • BOTTOM, left to right: Concern for weakened water-quality measures since passage of the Reform Act was a recurrent interview theme. • Increasing conflicts between commercial and recreational fishermen helped spur the legislation.
Roger Winstead/NC State Communications
Roger Winstead/NC State Communications
Roger Winstead/NC State Communications
Courtesy Dixie Berg10 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Dan Whittle’s assessment of the moratorium process was echoed in other interviews. Whittle, a policy advisor in state government until 1999, reflected, “What the Moratorium Steering Committee did was to convene gatherings where people came and could be heard, could talk and could be listened to. That was a valuable lesson, and it showed that what appeared to be irreconcilable differences were not that irreconcilable. It was a very effective tool. I think the biggest lesson is one of process, starting off by saying everyone has a legitimate interest in this policy debate, everyone needs to be heard.”
Concern that water quality and habitat protection measures have weakened since the Reform Act also was a recurrent theme.
“There’s less water-quality testing, less restrictions on stormwater runoff, less protection of marshlands and wetlands when it comes to building and developing, and those were things critical to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan requirement in the Fisheries Reform Act. You can’t keep mitigating loss of environment by clamping down on the fishermen,” said Sandy Semans Ross, communications director for the N.C. Fisheries Association during development of the Reform Act.
In February and March 2017, the research team played the podcasts for focus groups at three coastal locations and at NC State University in Raleigh. Sara Mirabilio, fisheries specialist with Sea Grant, helped put together two of the sessions.
“We were able to question participants about their motivations for participating in the sessions, lessons learned from the podcast and suggestions for improving similar outreach products,” Mirabilio explains. “This invaluable feedback will help us tailor Sea Grant’s fisheries extension activities and cooperative research efforts so they remain highly relevant to stakeholders across the state.”
The sessions drew 50 participants, most of whom had little or no prior understanding of the Reform Act. After listening to a podcast episode, participants completed a short survey designed to gauge comprehension of the content. The podcasts proved to be an effective means of communication and sparked thoughtful discussion about resource management at the sessions.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Team members also shared personal thoughts on lessons learned from the podcasts and interviews.
As the podcast narrator, Bit & Grain’s Stancil became very familiar with the content during rehearsal and in studio retakes. “The podcast storytelling taught me that fisheries management is about much more than allocation. It emboldened me to more thoughtfully consider the roles of water quality, coastal habitat and other environmental factors in the health of a vibrant, sustainable fishery,” Stancil says.
Williford was in elementary school when the Reform Act passed. “Hearing how things were before the act was very eye-opening. It gave me a much better understanding of why many stakeholders felt an urgency to impose some greater order on fisheries management in the state, and insight into how enforcement of the law has changed over time,” she says.
• ABOVE: The oral history project collected the voices of 13 interviewees, including clockwise from top left: former N.C. Sen. and Gov. Beverly Perdue, Willy Phillips, Dick Brame, Jess Hawkins, Pam Davis Morris and Jerry Schill.
Listen & Learn
The podcasts, a discussion guide, and links to interview recordings and transcripts at both Carolina Coastal Voices and NOAA’s Voices from the Fisheries are available at raisingthestory.com. The interviewees and their roles during development and implementation of the Reform Act were:
• Dick Brame, N.C. Coastal Conservation Association executive director
• B.J. Copeland, North Carolina Sea Grant director, Moratorium Steering Committee member,
N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission member
• Mac Currin, N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission member
• Jess Hawkins, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries liaison to N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission
• Bob Lucas, Moratorium Steering Committee chair, N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission chair
• Pam Davis Morris, Carteret County Fishermen’s Association member
• Beverly Perdue, N.C. Senator
• Willy Phillips, N.C. Crabbers League of Aware Watermen co-founder
• Sandy Semans Ross, N.C. Fisheries Association communications director
• Jerry Schill, N.C. Fisheries Association executive director
• Melvin Shepard, Moratorium Steering Committee member
• Frank Tursi, Winston-Salem Journal reporter
• Dan Whittle, N.C. assistant secretary of natural resources’ policy advisor
Barbara Garrity-Blake
Courtesy Dick Brame
Barbara Garrity-Blake
Barbara Garrity-Blake
Barbara Garrity-Blake
Susan Westcoastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 11
Folklorist Davidson of Bit & Grain reflects, “The oral histories revealed some policy drama, but they also revealed the unglamorous, tedious aspects of the democratic process. I was moved by how many citizens were willing to get down in the trenches to make this legislation happen.”
Davidson walked away from the project with mixed feelings. “Pride that our state intentionally engaged citizens in the reform process and that so many citizens rose to the challenge. Inspiration that government could look like this, and loss because the political process seems to have moved away from embracing this type of citizen participation,” she notes.
The podcasts were used this spring in the marine fisheries policy class Garrity-Blake teaches at Duke.
“The podcast was a wonderful teaching tool. Listening to the voices and viewpoints of people involved in development of the Fisheries Reform Act really brought the process to life for the students,” Garrity-Blake says.
Discussion Guide Excerpt
One outcome of the oral history project was a discussion guide created as a starting point for conversations about the Fisheries Reform Act. Here are some of the questions included in the guide:
• What did you learn about fisheries management that you did not know before listening to the podcasts? Did the podcasts change the way you think about fisheries management? Why or why not?
• The period prior to the moratorium was replete with environmental, economic and social issues. Which issues has the Fisheries Reform Act addressed successfully? What types of issues still pose challenges for fishery managers?
• The podcasts use excerpts from oral history interviews to tell listeners the story of why and how public policy developed. How important is it for current policymakers and stakeholders to understand the history of the Fisheries Reform Act?
Producers of CoastLine, a news program on WHQR public radio in Wilmington, relied on the podcasts as a resource in preparation for a broadcast about the Reform Act, featuring four of the project interviewees.
“I listened to the three-part podcast and was deeply impressed by how well all the divergent threads were pulled together into a comprehensive, fascinating, richly cultured narrative,” notes Rachel Lewis Hilburn, CoastLine host.
Researchers anticipate that the podcasts and other materials will be used in more classrooms and public forums.
“In our interview with Gov. Beverly Perdue, she insisted that it was the public’s duty, not the legislature’s duty, to make sure fisheries management stays on the agenda. This project helps do just that,” Williford says.
Susan West is a journalist and story collector, and a principal investigator of the Fisheries Reform Act oral history project. She is co-manager of Raising the Story, a collaborative program that strives to make research and scholarship relevant to contemporary life in creative ways. West also helped to establish Coastal Voices, an Outer Banks oral history project.
• ABOVE: Researchers hope their work will stimulate further conversations about the future of fisheries management in the state.
Roger Winstead/NC State Communications12 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Everything You Always Wanted
to Know about
SEX IN
THE SEA
BY TERRI KIRBY HATHAWAY
ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHARLOTTE
INGRAM FROM NORTH
CAROLINA’S AMAZING
COAST: NATURAL
WONDERS FROM
ALLIGATORS TO ZOEAS
Readers of a certain
age will remember when the
book Everything You Always
Wanted to Know about Sex*
(*But Were Afraid to Ask) entered
the American mainstream. Published
in 1969, this book gave many young people their first taste of sex education. So, I’m using a similar title to give young and old alike a lesson in the reproductive practices of marine and estuarine animals.
There are four survival instincts in the animal kingdom: feeding, fighting, fleeing and … reproducing. Let’s think about the last one: How do animals in marine environments procreate?
There are many questions to consider when thinking about sex in the sea.
• Is it asexual or sexual reproduction? Is there external or internal fertilization?
• Are the sexes separate — with male and female individuals — or do the male and female reproductive organs reside in each individual?
• Do the animals produce a few large offspring or thousands of small ones?
• How do individuals find each other in order to reproduce?
• When is the right time? Where is the right place?
• What environmental cues are guiding factors?
Whew! Is your mind already spinning? Mine is.
Read on for more about sex in the sea — and get ready to learn some new words to impress your friends.
Sex Isn’t Everything
In asexual reproduction, a single organism produces
offspring that are genetically identical to the parent.
There’s no fertilization, no egg and sperm, and no need
for males and females. It is reproduction without sex.
Budding and fission — the division of one organism into two — are examples of asexual reproduction. Anemones and hydra, a type of freshwater invertebrate, reproduce
asexually, cloning new individuals from a single organism.
Sexual reproduction involves the joining of
gametes, the reproductive cells known
as the egg and sperm. Each gamete contains one half of the necessary genetic material: When combined, they create one individual
that is slightly different from its parents. Most marine and estuarine animals reproduce sexually — including oysters, sharks and whales.
To make things even more confusing, some animals like moon
Sea anemone
Blue crabcoastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 13
organs in different individuals — are called dioecious, which is Latin for two houses. Blue crabs, for example, are dioecious: They have males and females.
Many species exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females differ in appearance. The difference may be size, color, shape or structure.
With blue crabs, it’s easy to tell the difference between the sexes by looking at the claws and abdomen, also known as the apron. The male has blue-tipped claws and a narrow apron shaped like the
Washington Monument, while the mature female has red-
tipped claws, often called “painted fingernails,”
and a broad apron shaped like the dome
of the Capitol Building.
M
onoecious — one house
— animals carry male and
f
emale reproductive organs in one individual. These species also are called hermaphroditic. To complicate matters further, there are sequential and simultaneous hermaphrodites.
Sequential hermaphrodites produce male and female sex organs, but only one set works at a time. These animals start out as either male, called protandry, or female, called protogyny, and then eventually switch genders.
For example, all groupers are protogynous, starting life as females. After producing eggs, groupers gradually change into males.
Anemonefish, like the star of “Finding Nemo,” are protandric. They live in groups with two larger individuals — the larger being female, the other male — and a number of small
C o n t i n u e d
jellies reproduce sexually during one stage of life and asexually during another. Their gametes combine to create planula larvae, which settle on the bottom, grow into a polyp or stalk, and asexually bud baby jellies, known as ephyrae.
True jellies of the class Scyphozoa also exhibit both sexual and asexual reproduction during their life cycle. Similar to moon jellies, the adults broadcast eggs and sperm into the water column. Fertilized eggs start to develop, settle onto a hard surface and grow until they asexually bud ephyrae, which are released back into the water as tiny, free-swimming medusa.
The Ins and Outs of Fertilization
Sexual reproduction can be external or internal. Many fishes and invertebrates shed their eggs and sperm into the water column, an external method called broadcast spawning. The currents transport the reproductive cells around, and somewhere, somehow, they combine to create a zygote, or fertilized egg. Sea urchins, corals, oysters, flounders and eels are broadcast spawners.
Another type of external fertilization involves the male of the species shedding his sperm over eggs laid in a nest by the female. These animals include horseshoe crabs, damselfish and salmon.
A number of aquatic species rely on internal fertilization, the process by which the male places his sperm into the female’s body to fertilize her eggs. Blue crabs, barnacles, sharks, skates and rays all exhibit internal fertilization.
Aquatic Gender Bending
Animals with separates sexes — male and female reproductive
Sand tiger shark
Comb jelly
Horseshoe crab14 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
nonbreeding individuals. If the group loses the breeding female, the breeding male develops ovaries to become the breeding female. One of the nonbreeding fish becomes the breeding male.
Simultaneous hermaphrodites have working male and female reproductive organs at the same time, so any adult can mate with
any other adult of the same species.
Self-fertilization by these individuals is rare but not impossible. As simultaneous hermaphrodites unable to move, barnacles must have their eggs fertilized by a neighbor.
The Numbers Game
What are the odds of a single oyster egg shed into the brackish sound waters being fertilized? And the odds of it moving through its larval stages, developing into spat, successfully settling onto another oyster and growing to market size? Astronomical is my guess!
That is why oysters and other broadcast spawners produce millions of eggs and sperm. They need that many so at least a lucky few will survive to reproduce.
Each sea turtle nest contains 80 to 120 eggs depending on the species. But just one hatchling out of 1,000 makes it to adulthood to keep the species going.
Other species produce a small number of offspring, spending lots of time and energy taking care of them until they are ready to leave their parent or parents. Think about the whales and dolphins that feed and protect their young for months.
The Right Time and Place
Environmental cues help animals determine the correct time and place for reproduction. Indicators include the phase of the moon, the tidal cycle, water temperature and salinity, and the amount of daylight.
Horseshoe crabs lay their eggs at night during high tides of the new and full moons. Some reef-building corals release their gametes only at night during a full moon. Oysters spawn when the water temperature warms up to around 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Exceptions to the Rules
Male seahorses fertilize eggs after the female places the eggs in his brood pouch. He holds the fertilized eggs until they hatch.
The male sea catfish is an oral brooder, holding the fertilized eggs in his mouth for two to four weeks, until the young hatch and finish absorbing their yolk sacs.
The males of cartilaginous fishes like sharks, skates and rays use claspers to place sperm inside the female’s cloaca and fertilize the eggs. Depending on the species, sharks and other egg- producing animals can be:
• Oviparous – eggs laid and hatched outside the mother’s body;
• Ovoviviparous – eggs hatched within the mother’s body; or
• Viviparous – eggs develop into embryos, which have an umbilical-type connection with the mother, that result in live birth. Humans are viviparous.
Right whale
Leatherback sea turtle
Oysterscoastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 15
I trust by now you have learned some new words. I also hope you have discovered the breadth and depth of how marine and estuarine animals reproduce.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space to describe courting and foreplay rituals, the various methods of egg laying, or the many types of egg cases.
Maybe those ideas will spawn a future article or two.
Glossary
• Cartilaginous – having a skeleton made of cartilage instead of bone
• Clasper – modification of pelvic fins of male sharks, skates and rays that transfer sperm to the female’s cloaca
• Cloaca – common opening for intestine, excretory and reproductive systems of cartilaginous fishes
• Dioecious – organisms having separate male and female sexes
• Ephyra (ephyrae) – early planktonic larval stage of scyphozoans (true jellies)
• Gamete – a reproductive (sex) cell, such as sperm, egg or pollen grain
• Hermaphrodite – organism that has both male and female gonads
• Medusa – bell-shaped life stage of cnidarians (sea jellies)
• Monoecious – organisms that contain male and female gonads
• Oviparous – young develop in eggs that are laid outside mother’s body
• Ovoviviparous – young develop in eggs retained within the mother’s body and are born alive
• Planula – ciliated
larval stage of cnidarians
• Polyp – a body form that is hollow, elongate and attached to a substrate
• Protandry – the process of functioning first as male, then changing to female (e.g., anemonefish)
• Protogyny – the process of functioning first as female, then changing to male (e.g., wrasses)
• Sexual dimorphism – a difference in appearance between male and female individuals in animals
• Viviparous – young develop inside the mother and are born alive
• Zygote – a fertilized egg
Selected References
• Coulombe, Deborah A. 1984. The seaside naturalist: A guide to study at the seashore. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
• Hardt, Marah J. 2016. Sex in the sea: Our intimate connection with sex-changing fish, romantic lobsters, kinky squid, and other salty erotica of the deep. New York: St. Martin’s Press.
• Kaplan, Eugene H. 2006. Sensuous seas: Tales of a marine biologist. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Otte, Jean-Pierre. 2000. The courtship of sea creatures. New York: George Braziller/Publisher.
Seahorse
Bottlenose dolphin16 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
BY E-CHING LEE
This total solar eclipse was seen from Australia on Nov. 13, 2012.
The light halo visible around the edges of the moon is the sun's atmosphere, the corona.
Romeo Durschercoastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 17
C o n t i n u e dummer typically ushers in a time of backyard cookouts, sandals and pools — essentially, fun in the sun. This year, add a twist to your warm-weather social calendar: fun with the sun.
Save the date, set a reminder and soak in a celestial sight on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. A total solar eclipse — when the sun is fully obscured behind the moon — will occur over 14 states in the continental United States.
“It’s a really grand spectacle of nature,” says Amy Sayle, an educator at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill.
“To me it seems like an opportunity to really understand — in your brain and in your heart — that you live in a solar system of massive moving objects. The moon is going to pass in front of the sun and the moon’s shadow will fall on the continental U.S. And if you’re standing in the path of the moon’s dark inner shadow, you will see the sun completely covered up.”
And it’s going to happen fast. “The moon’s shadow is going to take roughly 90 minutes to race across the continent,” Sayle explains.
The first glimpse of the total solar eclipse from land will occur at Government Point, Oregon, at 10:15 a.m. PDT. The last place on the continental United States to see it will be near Charleston, South Carolina at 2:48 p.m. EDT.
The moon’s shadow traces a path on Earth during a total solar eclipse, also known as the path of totality. “The path of totality during this eclipse is roughly 70 miles wide. The center line is within that path. Anyone anywhere within the path of totality gets the total eclipse, but those on the center line get it the longest,” Sayle explains.
The length of the total solar eclipse on that center line will vary, she adds. In Oregon, the sky will turn dark for about 2 minutes, while the southeastern part of the continent will see it for approximately 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
In North Carolina, only the southwestern tip of the state will experience a total eclipse. Viewers in most parts of the state can see only a partial eclipse, with about 90 percent coverage of the sun. In North Carolina, the partial eclipse will last for a few hours during the afternoon of Aug. 21.
Partial and total eclipses are not the same experiences. “It will not cool down, it will not get dark, you will not see the nighttime sky, the stars, the planets,” says Mickey Jo Sorrell, another educator at Morehead Planetarium.
“Amy and I feel like our job from now until the eclipse is to tell everyone to go to the path of totality,” Sorrell continues. “We want you to go where you see the total solar eclipse.”
It’s been a long time since people living in this country experienced such an event.
“It’s the first total solar eclipse in the United States since 1991. That one was in Hawaii. It’s the first total solar eclipse in
the 48 states since 1979. That was only in part of the northwest. It’s the first total solar eclipse visible from North Carolina since 1970,” Sayle adds.
A solar eclipse happens when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, casting the moon’s shadow on Earth and blocking our view of all or part of the sun.
Simply put, from our vantage point on Earth, a total solar eclipse happens when the moon appears to completely cover the sun, while a partial solar eclipse occurs when the moon obscures only part of the sun. For more details on eclipses, go to eclipse2017.nasa.gov/how-eclipses-work.
Many scientists will have powerful telescopes trained on the sky during this eclipse. In addition to the ground observations, cameras on high-altitude balloons, astronauts on the International Space Station and equipment on other spacecraft orbiting Earth will be keeping a close eye on this event. This is an opportunity to learn more about the sun, the moon and the eclipse phenomena.
North Carolina Space Grant is working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and regional programs to enable students, scientists and space enthusiasts to gather data during this rare event.
SAFELY observing THE SUN
W
ARNING! Never look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. You canseriously injure your eyes.Check with localscience museums,schools and astronomyclubs for eclipse glasses—orpurchase an ISO 12312-2 compliantand CE certified pair of these special shades!Credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. AniolSUN FUNNELInexpensive and easy to build, the sun funnel is a device thatcompletely encloses the light coming from a telescope andprojects a magnified image of the sun, large enough formany people to view at once.http://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/make-sun-funnel
VIEWING THE ECLIPSE
Do not look directly at the sun during a partial solar eclipse, or even at other times. It can permanently damage your eyes.
“There is only one time when it is safe to look at the sun directly and that is during a total solar eclipse, during totality, when it’s 100 percent covered. Not before, not after,” stresses Amy Sayle, an educator at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill.
“Any other time, if you want to look at the sun, you’ll have to use proper protection. The easiest, cheapest way for most people is going to be using what are called eclipse glasses,” she notes. Viewers also can look at the partial solar eclipse using a solar telescope or a regular telescope fitted with a solar filter.
All eclipse viewers will need special equipment to look at the solar eclipse. For more on viewing safety and where to purchase eclipse glasses, go to eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety.
Courtesy NASA18 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Space Grant, based at NC State University, is a consortium of academic institutions that promotes, develops and supports aeronautics and space-related science, engineering and technology education and training in North Carolina. It works with NASA, businesses, nonprofit organizations and state government agencies to equip the current and future aero/space workforce in the state.
“N.C. Space Grant provides all learners with access to NASA opportunities and resources,” says Jobi Cook, Space Grant associate director.
Eclipse Events
in North Carolina
The Carolinas Solar Eclipse Initiative, or CSEI, is a project between the North and South Carolina Space Grant programs to celebrate the August 2017 total solar eclipse. In addition to southwestern North Carolina, the path of the total solar eclipse will pass over part of South Carolina.
CSEI is an example of how programs within the National Space Grant College and Fellowship network collaborate across state lines to broaden the impact of their initiatives, Cook explains.
“Our goal is to bring awareness of science, technology, engineering and math to new audiences via a rare solar event,” she adds. “People of all ages are excited about the total solar eclipse. We look forward to engaging with the public and providing unique opportunities to turn that excitement into a teachable moment.”
The initiative includes Sayle and Sorrell from the Morehead Planetarium, as well as Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in North Carolina, South Carolina State Museum in Columbia and Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The CSEI team is offering programs for all ages, as well as professional development events for educators.
On the day of the eclipse, teams from North and South Carolina — along with about 50 others across the country — will participate in the Space Grant Eclipse Ballooning Project (eclipse.montana.edu), supported by National Space Grant.
CSEI is sending teams of North Carolina students from Southwestern Community College in Sylva and Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory. In South Carolina, teams from Palmetto Scholars Academy, Stall High School and the South Carolina Coast Guard – Sector Charleston will participate. See page 19 for more about the Lenoir-Rhyne team.
They will launch high-altitude balloons across the path of the total eclipse from locations in North and South Carolina in conjunction with public solar-eclipse parties in both states.
Each balloon will carry cameras to gather footage of the moon’s shadow on Earth and the darkened sun. The cameras will stream live video and images to the NASA website and NASA TV.
Did someone mention party? CSEI is working with local organizations to offer opportunities for the general public to view the event and learn more at statewide solar-eclipse parties.
In North Carolina, the effort builds on Morehead Planetarium’s N.C. Statewide Star Party network. Sayle and Sorrell are training informal educators to lead these viewing
parties. For a list of locations in the state, educational activities and other resources, go to moreheadplanetarium.org/eclipse.
The Morehead Planetarium will offer programs that day for those who cannot get to the path of totality, but the best viewing experience is not in Chapel Hill.
“Those who are able, we really encourage them not to get near the path of totality but to get in the path of totality,” Sayle says.
Perhaps you want to take a moment — now — to block out Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, in your calendar. If you can, plan a trip to the path of totality or join a statewide viewing event. Or grab some friends and plan your own viewing party.
Go before it is, you know, eclipsed by something else.
Find out more about North Carolina Space Grant at ncspacegrant.org. Details about the 2017 total solar eclipse are at eclipse2017.nasa.gov. Find out if you are in the path of totality at go.nasa.gov/2pC0lhe.
• TOP: People in the southwestern tip of North Carolina will get to see the total solar eclipse. • BOTTOM: In a solar eclipse, the new moon casts a shadow on the Earth and blocks out some or all of the sun.
Courtesy NASA
Courtesy NASA coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 19
FLYING UP
Members of the Lenoir-Rhyne University team participating in NASA’s Space Grant Eclipse Ballooning Project have their work cut out for them.
To document the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, 2017, students at this university in Hickory, in the North Carolina mountains, have been designing a lightweight container to hold a payload — tracking equipment, cameras and sensors. The cameras will gather images of the sun and the moon’s shadow. These pictures, in turn, will be shown live on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s website and TV channel.
But first, they are replacing the payload. At a test launch in April, the balloon soared 100,000 feet, then disappeared when the GPS systems failed during the descent.
All pretty heady stuff, especially if
worked on such a project before.
“Everyone went in confused, not knowing what to do. When we first saw the things involved, everything looked so foreign. But now it’s completely changed,” recalls Erik Carranza, a junior engineering physics major.
“We’ve had our share of dealing with issues and coming up with creative solutions to these issues, and all these are valuable assets and skills to be able to develop and to be able to carry forward to future employers,” he adds. “It’s helped me know what I’m good at, what I’m not good at. It’s helped me discover talents that I didn’t know I had.”
Sophomore Juan Fernandez joined the team as a way to get more involved in the university, to use his electrician skills and to pursue his interest in electrical engineering.
“Now, I’m kind of thinking more aerospace, astronautical engineering. It changed my mind about what I want to do. Maybe do something in collaboration with electrical engineering and aerospace. It has got me thinking,” he says.
At the April test launch, Fernandez showed up without a prelaunch checklist, a mistake that won’t happen again.
“We’re a lot more prepared. We know what our mistakes were and how we can fix them,” he says.
For Jump, this project is more than just about a career, coding and electronics. It’s about role models, dreaming big and aiming high.
He brings his two elder daughters, aged 13 and 11, to balloon launches. His intent is to show them successful women scientists and researchers at work. Jump wants them to realize “that we can reach the edge of space, and we can do it here, from a small town that I’m from, that my professor is from.”
When possible, his wife and parents, as well as his other children — another girl and three boys aged between 8 and 10 — come along too.
“They see me hands-on,” he explains. “And then we get to see the pictures back from the balloons that we sent. And they say, ‘Oh. Well I saw you do that. I know that I can do that now.’ I’m trying to show them what can be done.”
The Lenoir-Rhyne team will launch their balloon from the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman in southwestern North Carolina. To find the sites of other launches, go to eclipse2017.nasa.gov/event-locations and select NASA’s Space Grant Ballooning Project.
you’re into that kind of thing.
“How many people do you work with who can say: Oh yeah, we worked with balloons today. We got to 100,000 feet and we took some pictures?” says Larry Jump, one of the students on the Lenoir-Rhyne team.
“Students love working with it,” says Doug Knight, who teaches in the engineering physics department at Lenoir-Rhyne. “It’s good for a whole cross-disciplinary set of students,” from those who excel academically to those who are excellent tinkerers.
“My experience is when students do things beyond what they think they can do, and there’s a coolness factor and excitement to it, once they have success there, it bleeds into other parts of their way of thinking — academically, personally, professionally. They think they can do almost anything they set their mind to do. And if you can accomplish that in education, you’ve done a darn good job,” Knight adds.
The project attracted students who wanted to put their knowledge into practice, but who might not have
Doug Knight
Amy Sayle
• TOP: Always use proper protective eyewear to look at the sun. • BOTTOM: Students from Lenoir-Rhyne University get ready for a test launch of their high-altitude balloon. 20 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
This video still, taken by Southwestern Community College, won the Best Picture/Video award.
Courtesy Sandy CanfieldCORONAThe outermost layer of the solar atmosphere. The corona is made of a tenuous ionized gas called plasma, with tempera-tures up to a million degrees Fahrenheit. The corona is visible to the naked eye only during a total solar eclipse.PROMINENCESStructures in the corona made of relatively cool plasma supported by magnetic fields. Prominences are bright structures when seen over the solar limb, but appear dark when seen against the bright solar disk (where they're called filaments).POLAR PLUMESBright structures of fast-flowing solar material coming from coronal holes, areas with magnetic field lines open to interplanetary space. Coronal holes are more common near, but not exclusive to, the poles.CORONAL LOOPSFound around sunspots and in active regions. These structures are associated with the closed magnet-ic field lines that connect magnetic regions on the solar surface.HELMET STREAMERSLarge, caplike coronal structures with long pointed peaks that usually lie over sunspots and active regions. These often have a prominence or filament at their base. WHAT YOU CAN SEE DURING A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSECredit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol
When asked to explain what is so special about a total solar eclipse, Mickey Jo Sorrell, an educator at the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill, quoted American author Annie Dillard:
“I had seen a partial eclipse in 1970. A partial eclipse is very interesting. It bears almost no relation to a total eclipse. Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him, or as flying in an airplane does to falling out of an airplane. Although the one experience precedes the other, it in no way prepares you for it.”
— “Total Eclipse” from Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard
COMMUNITY COLLEGES COMPETE IN BALLOONING CHALLENGE
This spring, six North Carolina teams took their scientific expertise out of this world.
They participated in the third annual Community College High-Altitude Ballooning Team Challenge and Competition. The event, sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and North Carolina Space Grant, was held in early April in Hickory.
Students worked for months designing and equipping high-altitude balloons with payloads — objects accompanying the balloon. All teams included a camera, and scientific equipment to calculate temperature, altitude and barometric pressure. A secondary payload was decided by each team.
Winner of the Best Overall Team Award, Edgecombe Community College’s team — “CritECCly Stable” — had a secondary payload that earned international attention.
Jilianne Leary, a high-school student taking classes at ECC, reached out to Matthew Gibson from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England. Gibson’s research includes the development of antifreeze protein polymers, which he generously shared with the team.
“I was really proud to make a contribution to an enthusiastic set of students working on this great program to get high-school students involved in real science. I hope it inspires more to take part in the future,” Gibson shares. The collaboration proved fruitful as the proteins with the polymer survived the flight.
Even with one errant payload going missing for a few weeks, the competition provided useful experiences for all involved, with several teams taking home honors.
The other five teams represented event host Catawba Valley Community College, South­western Community College, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, Pitt Community College and Durham Technical Community College.
To find out more about N.C. Space Grant, visit www.ncspacegrant.org. For photos and videos of this event, check out Facebook at NCSpaceGrant. — M.I.
Courtesy N.C. Space Grant
Courtesy NASA
• LEFT: This image and other eclipse-related materials are available at eclipse2017.nasa.gov. • RIGHT: North and South Carolina Space Grant programs are collaborating on eclipse activities.coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 21
C o n t i n u e d
SEA SCIENCE
Growing Better Bivalves:
Science,Local Knowledge Enhance N.C. Business
BY KATIE MOSHER
• ABOVE: The Sandbar Oyster Company produces oysters known locally as green gills, a style that draws top prices in France.
Courtesy Niels Lindquist
MEDIA STORIES OFTEN CITE SANDBAR OYSTER COMPANY AS AN UNLIKELY PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN A SCIENTIST AND A FISHERMAN — A SUCCESSFUL DUO NOT ONLY IN THE HALF-SHELL MARKET, BUT ALSO IN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION.
“He’s not my normal consideration of what a scientist would be like.” That’s how fisherman David Cessna, better known simply as Clammerhead, describes Niels Lindquist in a WRAL-TV story.
A closer look reveals the collaboration is not so surprising. A few years back, they were part of an applied research team studying N.C. fisheries and habitats. Administered by North Carolina Sea Grant, those research projects required one or more partners from the fishing industry.
“We had many days working together on the water,” recalls Lindquist, who teaches at the Institute of Marine Sciences of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “What started as general conversations evolved into deeper discussion and debate, and ultimately to a greater understanding of — and trust in — each other’s knowledge of 22 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Cessna and Lindquist’s long-running discussions ultimately turned into a business plan, with their company name taken from the sandbars offering growing opportunities. They became entrepreneurs as they grew an idea — to test a novel material as the basis for oyster aquaculture, habitat restoration and living shorelines.
The new, biodegradable substrate is especially resilient during early reef formation, they note. It succeeds in varied locations: under docks, on sandbars and in shoreline-protection projects. Critically, the material does not provide refuge for oyster enemies, like the boring sponges.
Leveraged funding from UNC-CH and other sources has fostered growth. In June 2016, Sandbar Oyster Company was one of five startups to receive funding and business mentors through a competition hosted by the NC IDEA Foundation.
With a patent pending, Lindquist and Cessna continue working with university and community partners.
Steve Murphey of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries notes the
SEA SCIENCE
• ABOVE: The new substrate attracts oyster larvae naturally, and results in rapid growth. • RIGHT: Niels Lindquist, left, and David Cessna, right, turned research discussions into a business plan for Sandbar Oyster Company, which focuses on oyster aquaculture, reef restoration and living shorelines.
North Carolina oysters and our particular skills within the team.”
John Fear, Sea Grant deputy director, says their partnership and the resulting new company achieve a broader goal of collaborative research. “Local knowledge, including intuition of those who work the water, has value alongside the scientific process of gathering and analyzing data,” he explains.
Lindquist and Cessna were on a team looking at oyster enemies — carbonate-boring sponges that rapidly colonize on marl, a material tra­ditionally used in reef restoration. The invaders can make marl, and even natural oyster-shell reefs, launching points to spread to nearby natural reefs.
The team’s research also showed that areas where oysters historically grew may no longer be ideal for future restoration. In North Carolina, saltwater intrusion is shifting the low-salinity zones for oysters farther upstream. In high-salinity waters, prime oyster-growing sites are intertidal sandbars — areas rarely associated with natural or constructed oyster reefs.
Courtesy Niels Lindquistcoastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 23
agency has tested the new substrate, to evaluate its ability to lure oyster larvae to settle and grow. The substrate, with the seed oysters attached, then can be moved to restoration locations. Demonstration projects focusing on salinity also will help in selecting new restoration sites, he adds.
Lindquist continues in his university role, mentoring graduate students. He also has partnered with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, Sea Grant and N.C. Coastal Federation on research proposals, fieldwork and data analysis. Cessna has added new duties, including representing the business at research and culinary meetings along the East Coast.
“There is a potentially big economic opportunity here that’s been laying there waiting for someone to do something with it,” Lindquist adds.
Consumers’ demand for variety plays a big factor. “It’s opening the door for the green gill as a unique oyster on the North American market. The oyster is turning their heads to Eastern North Carolina and what else the area has to offer,” he continues. Currently, Sandbar markets its oysters under the names Atlantic Emerald from the lower North River estuary and American Jade, grown along Jarrett Bay.
“It’s beautiful. The flavor is spectacular,” says Chef Joshua Whigham, head of research and development for ThinkFoodGroup, of the Atlantic Emerald oyster. He also praises the uniqueness of its color and the responsible way in which these oysters are being grown.
Whigham is interested in offering these oysters in some restaurants run by Chef José Andrés. Andrés is an internationally recognized chef, with restaurants in Washington D.C., Las Vegas and Los Angeles, as well as overseas in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
“North Carolina Sea Grant is proud to have provided early and ongoing research funding for projects that spurred this startup highlighting the value of oysters as human food and as habitat engineers,” Fear notes.
“Equally important, Niels and Clammerhead have created a lasting partnership with economic and policy impacts.”
A version of this story was published on the National Sea Grant website. Learn more about reef research on page 24.
SEA SCIENCE
Courtesy UNC Research24 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
SEA SCIENCE
Niels Lindquist, an ecologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences, noticed that many of the oysters served at roasts were difficult to open because of brittle shells. The oysters had small holes in their shells, a telltale sign of an infestation by the boring sponge, a common estuarine organism in the family Clionaidae.
Infested oyster shells often crumble in the hands of the shucker, leaving bits of shell in the sweet meat. The brittleness also makes the bivalve more vulnerable to predators that can crush its shell. Such infestations create a major problem for oyster populations.
Boring sponges are common in the salty portions of estuaries globally, and North Carolina is no exception. Not only can boring sponges spoil your oysters, but they also create an “economic problem, and men in the business of collecting or raising oysters agree that Cliona is one of the principal causes of loss,” noted zoologist Max Walker de Laubenfels. He was writing about boring sponges in the Newport River in 1947, but his conclusion still holds true today.
Lindquist and colleagues recognized that carbonate materials, such as oyster shells, were highly susceptible to infestations by the boring sponge. The oyster pest may become more prevalent as the water salinity in our estuaries increases from sea-level rise and coastal development. Boring sponges are moving farther into the estuaries, following the saltier water.
Restoring Our Oysters:
Dealing with
the Sponge Problem
BY GREGORY SORG
• ABOVE: Gregory Sorg builds the substrate on which the oysters will grow. • TOP RIGHT: This oyster has small holes in its shell, the telltale signs of an infestation by boring sponge. • BOTTOM RIGHT: These pieces of substrate consist of plant fibers infused with cement and are designed to attract oyster larvae. Once the fibers break down, only the oysters will remain.
Jon Gardiner/UNC Chapel Hill SEA SCIENCE
coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 25
Added to water-quality concerns closer to the shoreline, these changes are narrowing the regions that are open to shellfish harvests and are relatively free of boring sponge.
Free-floating oyster larvae need a base, or substrate, on which to attach. Currently, a common method of oyster-reef restoration and habitat enhancement in the U.S. is to place recycled oyster shell on the bottom of the estuary with the hope that baby oyster larvae will attach and grow into adults.
Given the susceptibility of these shells to the boring sponge, researchers sought to determine if changing the substrate materials for reefs would enable oysters to live longer before the sponge became an issue.
They wanted to test whether using noncarbonate materials could offer an advantage over oyster shell and carbonate-based marl, a sedimentary rock composed of clay and carbonate materials, in constructing oyster reef. Lindquist received an N.C. Fishery Resource Grant from North Carolina Sea Grant, along with David Eggleston, director of NC State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology.
The grant supported the construction of 80 oyster reefs in the North and Newport rivers. Lindquist and Eggleston worked with two local commercial fishermen, Adam Tyler and David “Clammerhead” Cessna, to find suitable locations and to construct and monitor the reefs.
The team used four substrates to build their reefs. The researchers tested two calcium carbonate substrates: loose oyster shell and marl. The two types of noncarbonate materials were granite gravel similar to that found in driveways and chunks of cobble-sized concrete.
For my graduate work, I analyzed data from the 80 reefs, up to 54 months after construction. In the less salty regions of the estuary, oysters settled comparably among all substrate types and thrived. Essentially, the substrate material had no effect on how well oyster reefs grew at low salinities during our study. On the reefs in the saltier regions, predators such as the Atlantic oyster drill, a sea snail, quickly mowed down recently settled oysters.
However, the type of substrate material did matter at moderate salinities. The oysters on granite and concrete reefs were able to resist rapid colonization by the boring sponges. The shell and marl reefs were more prone to infestation by boring sponges. Boring sponges infested the carbonate-based substrates and the oysters settled on these materials. In contrast, boring sponges could not infest the noncarbonate substrate. The oysters on those reefs were able to live and grow longer before boring sponge infestations were observed.
In coastal development, carbonate-based materials such as marl are sometimes used to build jetties and breakwaters. Scuba divers have reported a heavy infestation of boring sponges on boulders around local jetties made of marl. These infestations can undermine the structural integrity of the jetty because the sponge erodes the material, making the boulders more susceptible to damage. The infested boulders can also act as a source of boring sponges to the surrounding oyster populations.
While it is unrealistic to attempt to entirely eradicate boring sponges, oyster growers and restoration practitioners can take steps to alleviate the negative impacts of boring sponge on oyster populations, such as by choosing noncarbonate substrates for reefs. This North Carolina Sea Grant-funded research provides a basic framework for addressing the issue of the boring sponge so that we may more effectively restore oysters.
Gregory Sorg holds a master’s degree in marine sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences. His graduate work focused on oyster-sponge ecology, specifically the sustainability of substrates used in oyster restoration.
Niels Lindquist/UNC IMS
Jon Gardiner/UNC Chapel Hill 26 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
THE BEACHES OF THE OUTER BANKS ARE LEGENDARY, BUT ITS ROADWAYS ARE STEERING INTO THE SPOTLIGHT. This summer, the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway is ready to guide visitors on an exploration of the culture and history of the North Carolina coast.
The byway’s southern range includes an area in Carteret County known as Down East, with expanses of marsh interrupted by small communities where fishing is a way of life and locals tell stories of generations past. This summer is the perfect opportunity to discover the sun-washed roads of this corner of North Carolina.
The byway is a natural fit for Down East. “We need a quality, education-based, heritage-based, resource-based visitor experience — and that is what the scenic byway program is grounded in,” says Karen Amspacher, Carteret County chair of the byway advisory committee.
The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway has been in the works for over a decade. In 2003, representatives from Dare, Hyde and Carteret counties began updating planning documents to request federal recognition for what was then a State Scenic Byway.
The representatives ultimately merged to create a regional advisory committee. The committee’s former chair, Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy, still is impressed by the cooperation among the three county jurisdictions. “It’s a testament to folks really supporting the project,” she recalls.
The byway received federal status in 2009.
Discovering Down East
on the Outer Banks National
Scenic Byway
BY KATHLEEN M. ONOREVOLE
PEOPLE AND PLACES
“There are only 150 nationally designated Scenic Byways, and the Outer Banks Scenic Byway is one of them,” Goodloe-Murphy says. “And that’s a big deal.” Other National Scenic Byways include Route 66 and the Las Vegas Strip.
From its northern terminus at Whalebone Junction in Dare County, the byway runs south along Hatteras Island. A ferry takes travelers to Ocracoke Island in Hyde County. The byway then skips over to Cedar Island in Carteret County via ferry. From there, it squiggles down the stretch of inner coastline known as Down East, ultimately reaching its southern-most point in the village of Bettie.
“Down East is a sailing term,” says Carteret County historian Connie Mason, explaining the unusual name. “It means that when you leave Beaufort, you sail downwind and east to go around Cape Lookout and the banks.”
In spring 2016, roadside signs — featuring iconic images of a lighthouse and a boat nestled in the dunes — were installed along the byway to guide drivers.
“I know for the people Down East, when the signs went up, people were very proud,” Amspacher says. “People were very proud that, at long last, they had been recognized for being important.”
Amspacher, along with cultural anthropologist Barbara Garrity-Blake, co-authored Living at the Water’s Edge: A Heritage Guide to the Outer Banks Byway. The book introduces readers to the varied communities along the byway.
SLOWING DOWN IN CEDAR ISLAND
Visitors arriving in Down East from the north begin at the Cedar Island ferry terminal on N.C. 12 — and quickly enter the Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge was created in 1964, but the road through its 14,595 acres feels timeless, surrounded by dense salt marsh outlined by distant stands of trees.
It’s well worth making a quick side trip from the byway to meet Kevin Keeler in the refuge office. As the sole U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff member at the refuge, Keeler welcomes the chance to share his knowledge with visitors. “If the white truck’s in the parking lot, I’m around,” Keeler says.
His office embodies a curious slice of American history. It was built in 1967 as a Navy tracking site known as Condor 3. “The premise behind this facility was, it stuck out so far east, they had a southern hemisphere shot with their radar dish,” Keeler explains. “It was a gut reflex to the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
The Navy left in 1970, but the 32-foot tower that formerly supported an enormous radar dish still stands across the street, physical evidence of the area’s history. It’s just down the road from a kiosk that includes a trail map, a code for a cellphone audio tour, and photos of the many birds that live in or pass through the property.
“The impetus to establish Cedar Island as a refuge was to maintain habitat for this species, a black rail,” Keeler explains. The number of black rails in the state and in the Cedar Island Refuge has declined dramatically in recent decades. Despite this, the refuge remains an important habitat.
In fact, the refuge provides a habitat for over 250 species of birds. That’s not hard to imagine on the trails, where songbirds trill over the rustle of marsh grass. The Cedar Island Refuge feels like a portal to not only Down East, but to the Outer Banks of old.
FROM PAST TO FUTURE
Of course, time will not stand still on the byway. “In 2020, connections to each other, this place, and our heritage will be strong,” notes its vision statement. Sustainable tourism can help realize that vision.
North Carolina Sea Grant Extension Director Jack Thigpen proposed a study that would enable the byway advisory committee to track the trail’s sustainability. The assessment
C o n t i n u e dcoastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 27
PEOPLE AND PLACES
• LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM: Commercial fishing boats still are a common sight at a busy marina on Harkers Island. • Historic duck decoys are on display at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center. • Christopher and Lillie Miller take a break from work at Chadwick Brothers Bait & Tackle.
• RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: Collect a stamp for your National Wildlife Refuge Blue Goose passport at the Cedar Island Refuge office. • The grounds of the Core Sound Museum include a rain garden in front and a walking trail at the back. • Down East Kayaks has become a thriving business since it was started in the 1980s. • The Core Sound Museum features an observation tower with views to Cape Lookout.
Kathleen Onorevole
Kathleen Onorevole
Kathleen Onorevole
Kathleen Onorevole
Vanda Lewis
Vanda Lewis
Kathleen Onorevole28 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
PEOPLE AND PLACES
was conducted in 2016 by Patricia Hooper, Alyssa Dykman and Kara Shervanick from Duke University’s Masters in Environmental Management program.
“Sustainable tourism promotes current usage without degrading or detracting from the cultural heritage, local environment, or economic well-being of the host community, while consider­ing future economic, social, and environmental impacts,” the team explains in its report.
The students identified 10 sustainability indicators based on other studies and interviews with residents along the byway. The varied crite­ria included employment in travel and tourism, amount of impervious surface, and crime rates.
The report evaluated those metrics shortly before the roadside signs were posted. Thigpen explains that the baseline data will facilitate comparison in future assessments.
Residents’ passion for the Outer Banks was apparent in their interviews. “They really wanted this to be something that was more for local people,” Thigpen says. “They want something that celebrates the local culture and life and the fishing heritage.”
SHARING STORIES
As drivers leave Cedar Island, they will notice ample signs of that fishing heritage, from worn wooden docks alongside boat ramps to shops with faded signs advertising shrimp and crab cakes.
Family trees in places like Sea Level and Davis have deep roots Down East. “I’m hopeful that the byway can encourage people to tell stories about the villages and people in those villages,” Goodloe-Murphy says.
Communities already are sharing their stories with Mason, who is meeting with local representatives to create interpretive signs that will be placed along the byway in each village.
Mason begins by asking residents this question: If a stranger comes to your community, what do you want them to know? Their responses will be incorporated into the sign as text, photographs, a map featuring points of interest and a local recipe.
Down East villages selected a range of topics for their signs. Marshallberg profiles Capt. Fred Gillikin, who led “the first rescue in record of the newly formed U.S. Coast Guard” in 1915 off Cape Lookout, Mason explains.
Atlantic highlights its commitment to education, exemplified by a self-imposed tax to build a high school in the early 1900s. Brady Lewis, creator of the now-commonplace flared boat bow, is featured on Harkers Island. Many communities mention that farming has been a prominent local industry.
The interpretive signs will be installed in 2018, and they also will be available online. In `the meantime, drivers can learn some history from the state’s historic markers, including ones on Cedar and Harkers islands.
“When people drive through the Down East communities, I’ve always said that it’s the cultural treasures that are hidden from view,” Mason says. “A lot of people will see older homes or crab pots in the yard, but they don’t know the true feeling and history of a place until they get to know the people. So I’ve been hoping that through these signs, they will get to know that it’s more than just a little community.”
HARKERS ISLAND HERITAGE
Near its southern extent, the byway splits. One direction swings west to Bettie, the byway’s southern terminus. The other branch leads to Harkers Island, bringing travelers past the bright blue exterior of Chadwick Brothers Bait and Tackle.
“It’s been a Chadwick family business since the 1940s,” explains owner Lillie Chadwick Miller. She’s seen a lot of changes in recent decades, with more visitors to Harkers Island taking the ferry to Cape Lookout or renting vacation houses.
Miller’s son Christopher rents the colorful kayaks stacked next to the shop. Miller recalls when a relative started a kayak rental business in the 1980s. “We all looked at each other and said, ‘Who’s gonna come down here and rent a kayak? What is he thinking?’” she recalls. Today, Down East Kayaks is going strong, renting to paddlers visiting from as far away as Japan and Norway.
Miller helped mobilize community involvement in the byway as a member of its advisory committee. She says that people who travel the byway “want that authentic, mostly quiet, natural visit.” Christopher agrees, noting that byway visitors enjoy seeing the historical buildings and graveyards Down East.
“I think that as the byway becomes more known throughout the country, more people will be wanting to come down here,” Lillie Miller says.
Christopher already has seen that kind of enthusiasm from visiting kayakers. “I had a crowd come in and say basically, we’re living their dream,” he says.
The byway continues to the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center,
which celebrates Down East’s history of
fishing, hunting and boat building. Some of
the waterfowl decoys on display are over a century old, their wooden bodies smooth
from long-forgotten hunting trips.
Amspacher is the museum’s executive director, and she sees a tight connection between that position and her volunteer role on the byway advisory committee. “We are exactly what the byway is about, whether it’s cultural or natural history, or community involvement or responsible tourism,” she says. “We were the Down East voice in shaping what the byway’s become.”
From the Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitors Center, located next door to the museum, byway drivers can hop a ferry to the cape. During the summer, they can climb its eponymous lighthouse to see Down East from a whole new perspective.
Goodloe-Murphy notes that summer isn’t the only time for a road trip. “The byway can be enjoyed very nicely in the spring and fall, so come ahead!” she says.
Sounds like an invitation to hit the road.
Find out more about locations along the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway at www.outerbanksbyway.com.
IF YOU GO
• Cedar Island Ferry Terminal:
3619 Cedar Island Road, Cedar Island,
877-629-4386.
• Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge: 252-926-4021, www.fws.gov/refuge/cedar_island.
• Core Sound Waterfowl Museum
and Heritage Center: 1785 Island Road,
Harkers Island, 252-728-1500,
www.coresound.com.
• Cape Lookout National Seashore Visitors Center: 1800 Island Road, Harkers Island, 252-728-2250, www.nps.gov/calo.
• Down East Kayaks: 1604 Harkers Island Road, Straits, 252-838-1336, www.downeastkayaks.com.
Read Living at the Water’s Edge: A Heritage Guide to the Outer Banks Byway by Barbara Garrity-Blake and Karen Amspacher for more about the communities along the byway. Also, look for an excerpt from the book in the Autumn 2017 issue of Coastwatch. The book is available from University of North Carolina Press.CEDAR ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGEMountains toSea TrailMountains to Sea TrailMountains to Sea TrailMountains to Sea TrailCopyright:© 2013 ESRI, i-cubed, GeoEye121212121015530433999999453294379494345£􀁛􅬶64£􀁛􅬲264£􀁛􅬲264£􀁛􅬲264£􀁛􅬶64£􀁛􅬶64£􀁛􅬱17£􀁛􅬱158£􀁛􅬷7012Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station and Rodanthe Historic DistrictWhalebone JunctionInformation StationBodie Island Visitor CenterBodie Island LighthouseBuxton WoodsCoastal ReserveFrisco NativeAmerican MuseumHatteras Island Visitor CenterCape Hatteras LighthouseBritish CemeteryGraveyard of the Atlantic MuseumOcracokeLighthouseOcracokePony PensCore Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage CenterCape LookoutNational SeashoreHeadquartersBeaufort VisitorInformation CenterPea Island NationalWildlife RefugeVisitor CenterSalvoPost OfficeLittle Kinnakeet Life-Saving StationOuter BanksWelcome CenterHatteras IslandOcean CenterHatteras Inlet Ferry(Hatteras Island)Information CenterCedar Island Ferry Rest Area andInformation CenterPortsmouthIslandHistoric DistrictHatteras Inlet Ferry (Ocracoke Island)Comfort StationSpringer’sPoint PreserveBritish CemeteryOcracokePreservation MuseumOcracoke Working Watermen’s AssociationOcracoke IslandVisitor CenterCommunity SquareOcracoke Seafood CompanySwan QuarterFerry CenterBywayEntranceSalvo DayUse AreaHaulover DayUse AreaFrisco BathhouseSandy BayCape LookoutLighthouseOregon InletCampgroundCape PointCampgroundFriscoCampgroundOcracokeCampgroundOcracoke Island FerryComfort StationOUTER BANKS NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYOUTER BANKS NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY1335133213471300£􀁛􅬷703061013063061005944558Hatteras - Ocracoke FerryCedar Island - Ocracoke FerrySwan Quarter - Ocracoke FerryCherry Branch - Minnesott FerryBayview - Aurora Ferry?????NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFOAlligator RiverNeuse RiverWest BayCore SoundBack SoundNorthRiverNewporttRiverpOcracokeInletCedararrrrIIslIslIIslIslIandandaBaBayyyyyThorThofarereThorofareBayfHatterasInletCroatnSoundRoanokeSoundPamlico RiverLakeMattamuskeetBay RiverJonesBayJPuPuPunngngo o oRRiReveverrrOregonInletRose BayNew DrumInletCAPE LOOKOUT NATIONAL SEASHORECAPE LOOKOUT NATIONAL SEASHORECAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHORECAPE HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHOREPEA ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGEPortsmouth IslandHatteras IslandOcracoke IslandBodie IslandShackleford BanksSouth Core BanksNorth Core BanksCapeLookout£􀁛􅬷70U.S. Weather Bureau StationAVONWAVESSALVOSTACYDAVISOTWAYBUXTONFRISCOSMYRNABETTIESTRAITSRODANTHEHATTERASOCRACOKEATLANTICSEALEVELGLOUCESTERCEDAR ISLANDHARKERS ISLANDMARSHALLBERGWILLISTONBEAUFORTMOREHEADCITYBELHAVENSWAN QUARTERENGELHARDMANTEOWANCHESEMANNS HARBORNAGS HEADKILL DEVIL HILLSPOINT HARBOREDENTONDOWNEASTHYDE COUNTYCARTERET COUNTYHYDE COUNTYCARTERET COUNTYPAMLICO COUNTYDARE COUNTYDARE COUNTYTYRREL COUNTYDARE COUNTYCURRITUCK COUNTYTYRREL COUNTYCAMDEN COUNTYTYRREL COUNTYPASQUOTANK COUNTYTYRREL COUNTYPERQUIMANS COUNTYWASHINGTON COUNTYCHOWAN COUNTYWASHINGTON COUNTYBERTIE COUNTYBERTIE COUNTYCHOWAN COUNTYPAMLICO COUNTYBEAUFORT COUNTYCRAVEN COUNTYPAMLICO COUNTYNATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYThe Outer Banks National Scenic Byway traverses one of the nation’s great coastal landscapes. Tidal marshes, wind-swept dunes, lonesome beaches and beautiful sounds line the 138-mile route. Two national seashores are home to four lighthouses. Two national wildlife refuges highlight the region’s rich biological diversity. You are invited to experience the maritime heritage of 21 traditional villages and communities.BYWAYENTRANCEBYWAYENTRANCEOUTER BANKS NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY????NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFO0510151Miles234NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFO?Outer Banks NationalScenic Byway RouteTravel Information and Visitor CentersByway InformationPanel LocationByway Villages and CommunitiesFederal Lands BoundariesByway AttractionsMountains to Sea TrailPublic RestroomsCampgroundsPublic SwimmingShower FacilitiesHiking TrailsFor more information about the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway, visit www.outerbanksbyway.org.Byway Ferry TravelFerries are an integral part of the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway and offer the opportunity to experience Pamlico Sound via the comfort of your vehicle, on bike, or on foot. For additional information, including reservation options and schedules, visit www.ncdot.gov/ferry. Information for ferry services to remote portions of the Cape Lookout National Seashore is provided by the National Park Service.£􀁛􅬷70121332US HighwaysNC HighwaysState Routes051015KilometersVIRGINIASOUTHCAROLINANORTHCAROLINALook for these highway signs to guide your travel along the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway.Weather Along the BywayWeather events such as high tides, storms and windblown sand may impede travel along the Byway. Dial 511 for the latest weather and road condition information for the Outer Banks. www.ncdot.gov/travel is another resource for road conditions and weather information.Outer Banks National Scenic Byway Government PartnersThis Byway Information Panel has been funded by a Federal Highway Administration National Scenic Byways Program grant; Dare, Hyde, and Carteret Counties; and the Dare County Tourism Board.Information Panel DesignGeographic imagery and panel information current as of November 2014. Accuracy of imagery and information may have changed. Map data courtesy of the North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating Council/North Carolina 911 Commission and ESRI.Ferry RoutesRaleighWilmingtonGreenvilleI-40I-95I-95I-85I-85/40I-74New BernMorehead CityBeaufortNags Head????
coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 29
PEOPLE AND PLACES
CEDAR ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE toSea TrailMountains to Sea to Sea TrailMountains to Sea © 2013 ESRI, i-cubed, GeoEye121212121015530433999999453294379494345£􀁛􅬶64£􀁛􅬲264£􀁛􅬲264£􀁛􅬲264£􀁛􅬶64£􀁛􅬶64£􀁛􅬱17£􀁛􅬱158£􀁛􅬷7012Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station and Rodanthe Historic DistrictWhalebone JunctionInformation StationBodie Island Visitor CenterBodie Island LighthouseBuxton WoodsCoastal ReserveFrisco NativeAmerican MuseumHatteras Island Visitor CenterCape Hatteras LighthouseBritish CemeteryGraveyard of the Atlantic MuseumOcracokeLighthouseOcracokePony PensCore Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage CenterCape LookoutNational SeashoreHeadquartersBeaufort VisitorInformation CenterPea Island NationalWildlife RefugeVisitor CenterSalvoPost OfficeLittle Kinnakeet Life-Saving StationOuter BanksWelcome CenterHatteras IslandOcean CenterHatteras Inlet Ferry(Hatteras Island)Information CenterCedar Island Ferry Rest Area andInformation CenterPortsmouthIslandHistoric DistrictHatteras Inlet Ferry (Ocracoke Island)Comfort StationSpringer’sPoint PreserveBritish CemeteryOcracokePreservation MuseumOcracoke Working Watermen’s AssociationOcracoke IslandVisitor CenterCommunity SquareOcracoke Seafood CompanySwan QuarterFerry CenterBywayEntranceSalvo DayUse AreaHaulover DayUse AreaFrisco BathhouseSandy BayCape LookoutLighthouseOregon InletCampgroundCape PointCampgroundFriscoCampgroundOcracokeCampgroundOcracoke Island FerryComfort StationOUTER BANKS NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYOUTER BANKS NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY1335133213471300£􀁛􅬷- Ocracoke FerryCedar Island - Ocracoke FerrySwan Quarter - Ocracoke FerryCherry Branch - Minnesott - Aurora ????NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY RiverWest BayCore SoundBack RiverJonesBayJPuPuPunngngo o DrumInletCAPE LOOKOUT NATIONAL LOOKOUT NATIONAL HATTERAS NATIONAL HATTERAS NATIONAL SEASHOREPEA ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE BanksSouth Core BanksNorth Core 􀁛􅬷70U.S. Weather Bureau StationAVONWAVESSALVOSTACYDAVISOTWAYBUXTONFRISCOSMYRNABETTIESTRAITSRODANTHEHATTERASOCRACOKEATLANTICSEALEVELGLOUCESTERCEDAR ISLANDHARKERS ISLANDMARSHALLBERGWILLISTONBEAUFORTMOREHEADCITYBELHAVENSWAN QUARTERENGELHARDMANTEOWANCHESEMANNS HARBORNAGS HEADKILL DEVIL HILLSPOINT COUNTYCARTERET COUNTYHYDE COUNTYCARTERET COUNTYPAMLICO COUNTYTYRREL COUNTYDARE COUNTYCURRITUCK COUNTYTYRREL COUNTYCAMDEN COUNTYTYRREL COUNTYPASQUOTANK COUNTYTYRREL COUNTYPERQUIMANS COUNTYWASHINGTON COUNTYCHOWAN COUNTYWASHINGTON COUNTYBERTIE COUNTYBERTIE COUNTYCHOWAN COUNTYBEAUFORT COUNTYPAMLICO SCENIC BYWAYThe Outer Banks National Scenic Byway traverses one of the nation’s great coastal landscapes. Tidal marshes, wind-swept dunes, lonesome beaches and beautiful sounds line the 138-mile route. Two national seashores are home to four lighthouses. Two national wildlife refuges highlight the region’s rich biological diversity. You are invited to experience the maritime heritage of 21 traditional villages and communities.BYWAYENTRANCEBYWAYENTRANCEOUTER BANKS NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAY????NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFONATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFO0510151Miles234NATIONAL SCENIC BYWAYBYWAY INFO?Outer Banks NationalScenic Byway RouteTravel Information and Visitor CentersByway InformationPanel LocationByway Villages and CommunitiesFederal Lands BoundariesByway AttractionsMountains to Sea TrailPublic RestroomsCampgroundsPublic SwimmingShower FacilitiesHiking TrailsFor more information about the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway, visit www.outerbanksbyway.org.Byway Ferry TravelFerries are an integral part of the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway and offer the opportunity to experience Pamlico Sound via the comfort of your vehicle, on bike, or on foot. For additional information, including reservation options and schedules, visit www.ncdot.gov/ferry. Information for ferry services to remote portions of the Cape Lookout National Seashore is provided by the National Park Service.£􀁛􅬷70121332US HighwaysNC HighwaysState Routes051015KilometersVIRGINIASOUTHCAROLINANORTHCAROLINALook for these highway signs to guide your travel along the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway.Weather Along the BywayWeather events such as high tides, storms and windblown sand may impede travel along the Byway. Dial 511 for the latest weather and road condition information for the Outer Banks. www.ncdot.gov/travel is another resource for road conditions and weather information.Outer Banks National Scenic Byway Government PartnersThis Byway Information Panel has been funded by a Federal Highway Administration National Scenic Byways Program grant; Dare, Hyde, and Carteret Counties; and the Dare County Tourism Board.Information Panel DesignGeographic imagery and panel information current as of November 2014. Accuracy of imagery and information may have changed. Map data courtesy of the North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating Council/North Carolina 911 Commission and ESRI.Ferry RoutesRaleighWilmingtonGreenvilleI-40I-95I-95I-85I-85/40I-74New BernMorehead CityBeaufortNags Head????
• LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM: South Core Banks stretches into the distance from the top of Cape Lookout Lighthouse. • Catch beautiful sunsets over the open waters of Carteret County. • A roadside sign with the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway logo welcomes visitors to Down East.
• RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: The Cape Lookout Lighthouse is a destination for all seasons, even in the snow. • The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway starts at Whalebone Junction in Dare County and ends Down East in Bettie. • Glimpse wild horses on Shackleford Banks as you explore the waters in this part of the byway.
Kathleen Onorevole
Vanda Lewis
Vanda Lewis
Kathleen Onorevole
Vanda Lewis
Courtesy Outer Banks Scenic Byway30 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
Resilience at the Coast: Conference A SENSE OF THE COAST CAME TO RALEIGH THIS SPRING.
Speakers at North Carolina’s Coastal Conference, hosted by North Carolina Sea Grant, described essential ecosystems and economies, along with coastal communities’ critical challenges.
“We are thrilled that our sessions included leaders from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and state agencies, along with researchers, students, policymakers, residents and business owners. All came ready to learn and share ideas,” notes Susan White, Sea Grant’s executive director.
The program opened April 4 with a plenary that considered resilience issues from national and state perspectives, while the closing session on April 5 looked at ongoing recovery from Hurricane Matthew.
An evening program at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences featured legislative leaders — N.C. Rep. Pat McElraft and N.C. Sen. Bill Cook — and a reading by author Bland Simpson of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Overall, about 200 people attended the sessions that included panels on topics such as weather, storms and climate; community and ecosystem health; fisheries and aquaculture; and planning and economies.
In exit surveys, participants cited the opportunity to network with a broad range of people involved in coastal issues — including researchers, business owners, town managers and community members — as a major benefit of the conference. For many, this was the first experience of cross-cutting presentations and audience.
Sea Grant is developing a request for research proposals based on the 2017 conference. “Continue to check our home page and social media for updates, as well as the conference website for new materials, including presentation slides,” White says.
FUTURE LEADERS
White notes with particular pride the roles of university students in making the event a success, including those who volunteered, hosted tool tables, offered live tweeting, posed questions to the speakers, and, of course, shared their research results during a poster session.
“The students and professionals were well engaged throughout the event. I was impressed with the depth of understanding the students have not just of a single discipline, but also of how research needs today cross over from physical sciences to social sciences to policy decisions, and even the arts, in order to look at the big picture,” White adds.
Several students received awards based on poster content and design, how well they explained their research, and the implications and relevance of the project results.
“We received submissions from a diverse group of students, many of whom we had not
CURRENTS
• TOP LEFT: Susan White, center, with the winners of the student poster competition (left to right) Shilo Felton, Verena Wang, Seth Theuerkauf and Deborah Lichti.
• TOP RIGHT: Jonathan Pennock (right), director of the National Sea Grant College Program, was a speaker. • BOTTOM LEFT: The evening program at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences included N.C. Rep. Pat McElraft. • BOTTOM RIGHT: The conference drew a wide range of participants.
John Joyner
John Joyner
Becky Kirkland/NC State Communications
Becky Kirkland/NC State Communicationscoastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 31
CURRENTS
Features Science and Policy B Y K A T I E M O S H E R
interacted with previously,” says John Fear, Sea Grant deputy director. “The winners exemplified the great body of ongoing research across the University of North Carolina system.”
The poster winners were:
• First place: Verena Wang, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Estimating Southern Flounder Population Connectivity Using Otolith Geochemistry.
• Second place: Liliana Velasquez Montoya, NC State University, Oregon Inlet: Can We Solve the Unresolved Morphological Puzzle?
• Third place: Shilo Felton, NC State, Managing American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliates) Population Growth by Targeting Breeding Season Vital Rates.
• Honorable mention: Deborah Lichti, East Carolina University, Are All Rivers Created Equal? Determining How Food Web Dynamics Affect Fish Nursery Habitat.
• Honorable mention: Seth Theuerkauf, NC State, Density-Dependent Role of an Invasive Marsh Grass, Phragmites australis, on Ecosystem Service Provision.
EFFECTIVE PARTNERSHIPS
White also cites the strong support of varied partners. For example, NOAA is the agency for the National Sea Grant College Program.
“North Carolina State University hosts the headquarters for Sea Grant, but our program is truly statewide, as shown in the range of partners on the event steering committee and our overall advisory committee,” she explains.
The conference also drew the attention of the N.C. congressional delegations, including key staff members for U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and Sen. Thom Tillis, along with U.S. Rep. David Price. “Others were very interested but ended up with schedule conflicts,” White added.
“I again extend great thanks to our wonderful sponsors for supporting this opportunity for Sea Grant, our researchers, students and partners from across the state to discuss a range of critical issues — and solutions for a healthier coast,” she notes.
The conference sponsors include:
• Emerald: NC State Office of Research, Innovation and Economic Development, East Carolina University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina system.
• Sapphire: NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, Atlantic ReefMaker.
• Ruby: Duke University Marine Lab.
• Crystal: Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership and UNCW Coastal and Marine Sciences.
For more information on speakers and other conference details, go to ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/nc-coastal-conference. Find more conference photos at go.ncsu.edu/or54yn.
CURRENTS
• TOP LEFT: N.C. Sen. Bill Cook was one of the featured speakers at the evening event. • TOP RIGHT: Participants were able to network with a broad range of people involved in coastal issues. • BOTTOM LEFT: Tool demonstrations, ongoing conversations and museum exhibits engaged those who attended the evening event.
• BOTTOM RIGHT: NC State University Chancellor Randy Woodson welcomed the attendees on the opening day.
John Joyner
John Joyner
Becky Kirkland/NC State Communications
Becky Kirkland/NC State CommunicationsCURRENTS
32 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
WRRI Conference Brings Together AS THE MAN BEHIND THE MUSIC, MINA GIRGIS ACTS AS A LINCHPIN, PULLING TOGETHER ARTISTS TO CREATE A UNIQUE SOUND FOR AN IMPORTANT CAUSE: SUSTAINING THE NILE RIVER. He spoke of his work with The Nile Project musical group during the opening keynote of the 2017 Water Resources Research Institute of the UNC System Annual Conference in March.
The Nile Project brings people together through music to improve understanding among neighbors, increase public involvement, and ultimately, promote community and water sustainability in the Nile region. Nicole Wilkinson, WRRI’s coordinator for research and outreach, saw many parallels between the group’s model and the goals of the conference.
“We want to get as many different people as possible working on North Carolina water issues in the same room,” Wilkinson says. “Then, we can really see and understand all the great research underway, as well as any potential holes and opportunities for collaboration.”
Collaboration often is viewed as just one step of a process, but The Nile Project demonstrates how it can be its own worthy end product. Wilkinson hopes the WRRI conference serves a similar purpose as the foundation for long-lasting, effective partnerships.
Conference attendees appreciated the use of art and human stories to ground further discussions, as evidenced by the post-program evaluations. One participant remarked that having The Nile Project “added a wonderful cohesion to the program, as well as providing new ways to think about making connections.”
Speakers covered familiar topics, like water quality and stormwater, along with more novel areas, such as nanotechnology and public health. Two sessions this year focused on connecting water-resource research with the needs of private well owners, especially in areas with information gaps and health implications.
Drinking water throughout North Carolina was highlighted during the first day’s lunch with the presentation of the North Carolina Source Water Protection Awards. The winners included the Catawba-Wateree Management Group, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Stormwater Services and the Town of Huntersville, Keep Randolph County Beautiful, Mike Hicks and the Hicks Family, Southern Research Station of the USDA-Forest Service, and the Town of Garner and East Wake Television.
Special opportunities to engage outside the conference were another highlight for many attendees. Groups toured NC State University’s campus to learn about green infrastructure practices that control stormwater and protect
• TOP LEFT: Rachel Boling of Green Hope High School placed first in the high-school art contest. • TOP RIGHT: Members of The Nile Project gave a short performance during lunch on the first day of the conference. • BOTTOM LEFT: First place in the poster competition went to Qiwen Cheng of NC State University.
• BOTTOM RIGHT: Professionals and students networked through the conference’s mentorship program.CURRENTS
coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 33
More Than Research W O R D S A N D P H O T O S
B Y D I A N A H A C K E N B U R G
water quality, as well as the N.C. Solar House, before heading to a concert featuring The Nile Project.
“I really enjoyed the additional elements incorporated into the conference this year,” wrote one attendee in the event evaluation, adding, “Field tours are a welcome addition as a way to learn and network in another environment.”
Before The Nile Project brought down the house with their energetic beats and mesmerizing vocals, attendees networked while viewing and bidding on submissions to the annual high-school student art contest. This year’s judges — Jane Harrison of North Carolina Sea Grant, Shaun Walker of Granville County Public Schools and retired highway patrolman Mike Dupree — chose winners from an expanded field of schools.
The winning artists were Rachel Boling of Green Hope High School in first place, Sam McLemore of Garner Magnet High School in second place and Ken Wear of Enloe Magnet High School in third place. Jaime Crosore of South Granville High School received an honorable mention. Proceeds from the silent auction were donated to the schools, another addition WRRI hopes to continue next year.
The conference poster competition for university students also boasted a strong pool of entries this year, noted John Fear, deputy director of WRRI. “Posters offer students a valuable opportunity to practice presenting their research and to network with other researchers and professionals,” Fear adds.
Poster competition winners were Qiwen Cheng of NC State in first place, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students Emily Bailey in second and Frank Stillo in third. Christa Sanderford of East Carolina University and Alexandre Mangot of NC State received honorable mentions.
Many students and recent graduates took advantage of their close proximity to water-resource experts by participating in a mentorship program. Professionals volunteered as mentors and were paired with mentees to provide career guidance and serve as welcoming faces in a sea of people.
“I enjoyed meeting other professionals and providing a platform to make introductions,” a mentor explained. “It can be intimidating going up to random folks and introducing yourself, especially as a recent graduate or early in your career.”
Those connections are an important part of the conference, said other attendees. One appreciated “the ability to connect with local [North Carolina] practitioners and network. It’s invaluable.”
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the conference, which will be held March 14 and 15 at the McKimmon Center in Raleigh. Look for a call for abstracts in August 2017 and announcements about the conference at wrri.ncsu.edu/annual-conference.
• TOP LEFT: Sam McLemore of Garner Magnet High School placed second in the art contest. • TOP RIGHT: UNC-Chapel Hill student Frank Stillo came in third in the poster competition. • BOTTOM LEFT: The N.C. Source Water Collaborative gave awards to six different recipients. • BOTTOM CENTER: Mike Schlegel created a visual record of the conference’s keynote presentation. • BOTTOM RIGHT: Third place in the art contest went to Ken Wear of Enloe Magnet High School. Photos by Vanda Lewis Where
There’s
Smoke,
There’s
Grilled
Seafood
EXCERPT F ROM
MARINER’S MENU:
30 Y EARS O F F RESH
SEAFOOD IDEAS
B Y J OY C E T A Y LOR
• Grilled Garlic Shrimp
• Grilled M arinated Tuna w ith H erb B ut ter
• Grilled S of t-Shell C rabs
34 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
M A R I N E R ’ S M E N U
coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org 35
IN A NCIENT T IMES, M EN A ND WOMEN COOKED
OVER A N O PEN F IRE A S A N A LTERNATIVE TO
EATING R AW FOOD. Today, with all our advances and
conveniences, we still love to cook outdoors over a flame. And it’s not
just burgers and steaks anymore. A meal of fresh seafood, prepared
simply outdoors and eaten in the company of friends, is one of life’s
real pleasures.
Fish in any market form — drawn, dressed, steaks or fillets —
may be cooked over coals. You can grill any fish that you can broil.
Shellfish, depending on the recipe, may be grilled in the shell or
shucked. Use the freshest fish and shellfish you can find. Lack of
quality means lack of good flavor.
Many cooks like to marinate seafood before grilling. Always
make marinades in a nonreactive container such as glass or stainless
steel, never in aluminum or any other metal that can cause chemical
action or add an off-flavor to the food.
If you plan to use the marinade for basting, reserve some before
placing the seafood in it. Never baste cooked fish or shellfish with
marinade that has been used on raw seafood. The food can become
contaminated with harmful bacteria.
To complement your meal, try grilling your vegetables, too.
Corn-in-the-husk, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, squash, eggplant,
potatoes and other vegetables cook up great on the grill.
For more seafood tips and recipes, purchase a copy of Mariner’s
Menu: 30 Years of Fresh Seafood Ideas at ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/bookstore. Or
find recipes online at marinersmenu.org and pinterest.com/ncseagrant.
GRILLED G ARLIC SHRIMP
• 1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled
• 3/4 cup margarine or butter
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
Melt margarine in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add
garlic, lemon juice, cayenne, dill and sugar. Bring to a boil and
simmer one minute. Remove from heat and cool. Place shrimp in
sauce and marinate in refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes.
Thread shrimp on skewers. Grill about 4 inches from coals until
cooked on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn and repeat on other side.
Serves 3 to 4.
GRILLED SOFT-SHELL C RABS
• 12 soft-shell crabs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
In small bowl, combine oil, parsley, lemon juice, nutmeg, soy
sauce and Tabasco. Brush both sides of crabs with sauce. Place upside
down on grill about 4 inches over moderately hot coals. Cook until
lightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Turn and repeat on other side.
Serves 6.
GRILLED M ARINATED T UNA W ITH H ERB BUTTER •
8 tuna steaks
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 garlic clove, minced
Prepare Herb Butter and set aside.
In small bowl, combine oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, zest and garlic.
Blend well.
Place steaks in single layer in shallow baking dish. Pour marinade
over them, reserving 1/3 cup. Marinate in refrigerator about 45
minutes, turning occasionally.
Drain fish. Discard used marinade. Place steaks in well-greased
hinged grill. Cook about 4 inches from heat until done on one side,
about 6 to 8 minutes. Baste with reserved marinade and turn. Cook on
other side until done, about 6 to 8 minutes. Spread with Herb Butter.
Serves 8.
Herb B utter
• 3/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons minced green onion
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
In small bowl, combine margarine, green onion, parsley, tarragon
and mustard. Set aside for flavors to blend. Serve over tuna steaks.
M A R I N E R ’ S M E N U
36 coastwatch | summer 2017 | www.ncseagrant.org
ON THE WATER
MORE THAN 4,300 LOST OR ABANDONED CRAB POTS WERE REMOVED FROM 1.2 MILLION ACRES OF STATE WATERS EARLIER THIS YEAR.
The North Carolina General Assembly selected North Carolina Sea Grant to administer the Crab Pot Removal Pilot Program. Sea Grant contracted with the N.C. Coastal Federation, which worked with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and its Marine Patrol, along with teams of commercial fishermen, for the project during the annual winter “no-potting” period.
“Results show that a full-scale, statewide program is operationally achievable, as well as of value in improving the condition of coastal fisheries and habitat,” the federation exp