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Fall 2013
treasure

Fall 2013

OF SALT AND SAND: Sea Grant’s History with the Queen Anne’s Revenge Project

A mile off Atlantic Beach, the crowd aboard the Crystal Coast Lady burbles with excitement. Eyes squint through viewfinders. Hands clutch camera phones.

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More From Fall 2013

Duke researchers take samples from an oyster lease.

SEA SCIENCE: When Worlds Meet: Relevant Results When Citizens, Scientists Collaborate

In addition to working on the lines between disciplines, Freitag appreciates and wants to foster discussion about the application of research and creative ways to develop outreach opportunities. She hopes that someday, scientific literacy will be high enough that the line between the expert scientist and average person will be sufficiently gray that people will become comfortable working across it.
image: Susan White.

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Forecast Calls for Change

Inside this edition of Coastwatch, you'll find out where to catch the Chefs Competition at the N.C. Seafood Festival in Morehead City, celebrate Hatteras Island culture at Day at the Docks, and bring the family out for fun at the Outer Banks Seafood Festival. I'm into eating, but if you're more into birding and biking — maybe not at the same time — head to the Wings Over Water Wildlife Festival or join Cycle North Carolina's annual Mountains to Coast ride.
Fresh catch shown on ice.

SAILING THROUGH STORMY SEAS: Fish Houses Change to Stay Afloat

Over the past decade, local fish houses are fighting against an influx of cheaper and higher volumes of seafood imports. Adding to this, the economic downturn of 2008 has hit the wholesale and retail operations of fish houses, particularly those that rely on coastal tourists.
Protect Sea Grass

Sea Grass Sustains Fisheries

If you like local seafood, then you like sea grass. Also called submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV, sea grass provides habitat, at some point, to many of the finfish and shellfish species people like to eat in North Carolina.
mollusk collection

NATURALIST’S NOTEBOOK: A Shell’s Life

Sometimes, the beach can yield unexpected treasures. Fourteen-year-old Anne Fogleman made the pages of the News & Observer for her rare find on a recent seashell hunt with the N.C. Shell Club. She was beachcombing at Shackleford Island when she spotted a tropical cockscomb oyster attached to a buoy.
environmental literacy

PEOPLE & PLACES: Taking Kids Outside Matters: Promoting Environmental Literacy in North Carolina

Not all outdoor education experiences involve getting wet. But students learn while having fun — snorkeling, hiking, canoeing, walking in the woods, beachcombing, you name it. More than the simple enjoyment that these activities provide, outdoor education is an important component in learning about the environment.
lionfish

LOCAL CATCH: Hunting Lions

In early June, the "If You Can't Beat 'Em, Eat 'Em" lionfish/lobster spearfishing tournament took place in Carteret County.
Lionfish

MARINER’S MENU: Ingesting Invaders: Serving Up Lionfish

Some coastal restaurants, such as Bistro by the Sea in Morehead City, are trying to help reduce the population of this species by serving up these fish to eager diners (see the Coastwatch article, "Hunting Lions").