It's a slow day Down East as a yellow lab roams along the Cedar Island Harbor pier. Nearby, a young man listens to a Willie Nelson song while relaxing on a well-worn gray sofa inside an open shelter facing the harbor.
Charter boat captain Carl Snow and University of North Carolina at Wilmington researchers have made a discovery: When it comes to black sea bass, you may be able to have your fish and eat it, too.
Doctors have long known that fishers and other workers who spend a lot of time in the sun are at increased risk for skin problems — from rashes to skin cancer. In an East Carolina University study, nearly 25 percent of the North Carolina fishing community interviewed reported having skin disorders, according to North Carolina Sea Grant researcher David Griffith.
It could mean that storm water cascading from drainpipes into coastal waters is depositing polluted runoff from surrounding parking lots, streets, commercial properties and fertilized residential lawns and gardens. It's enough to ruin the day for swimmers.
