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Winter 2015
Underwater oyster reef.

Winter 2015

USING UPCYCLED CRAB POTS TO CREATE OYSTER REEFS

Experienced boaters occasionally spot them in time, but even the most weathered watermen have trouble steering clear of derelict crab pots that litter waterways along North Carolina’s coast.

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More From Winter 2015

Ashley Oliver standing at a podium presenting a slideshow projected behind her to an audience

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: North Carolina’s Coastal Conference Offers Varied Voices

Convening interested parties representing multiple disciplines to address priority coastal issues for the state: That’s all in a day’s work for the North Carolina Sea Grant team. We are considered a trusted broker of information and a team that has cultivated close, long-term relationships with a broad range of stakeholders.
The Trent River laps up on a boat ramp in New Bern.

FEAR FACTOR: Bonus for North Carolina

John Fear may have been born in Raleigh, but it was his youth in New Bern that set him on a career path as a scientist.

BRINGING BACK A BIVALVE: Sea Grant Works to Restore Oysters

North Carolina loves its oysters. Not just hot off the grill or raw on a salty cracker, but also as a keystone species in the state’s more than 3,000 square miles of estuaries. Oysters filter water, provide shelter and protect against erosion. But by some estimates, they are down to as low as 10 percent of their historical numbers.

BUILDING A BETTER REEF TAKES A TEAM

Lugging a jackhammer across an oyster reef is like carrying someone over an uneven bed of nails. I have the scars to prove it. Yet, if you need to get a core sample from an oyster reef, there is no better tool.
wetlands

SEA SCIENCE: Rising Waters and Migrating Marshes: Researchers Track Changes in North Carolina’s Coastal Habitats

Margaret Garner works hard for her research. “One thing I learned from this project is that it can be tough to access a randomly selected GPS point in a salt marsh,” admits the East Carolina University doctoral student. “Sometimes you literally can’t get there from here.”
Hyde County parcel

A LITTLE SLICE OF HYDE COUNTY: Investigating the Science of Wetlands Restoration

After a dusty ride down farm roads bordered by carpets of soybeans and the stubble of late-season cornfields, Mike Burchell stops the truck next to what looks like an impenetrable swamp.

BUSINESS AS USUAL: Fishing for a Living

Few women in North Carolina set their sights on fishing for a living. Current statistics show only 5.5 percent of the 5,449 commercial fishing license holders in the state are women. That rate varied little over the past decade, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries. Anecdotal evidence also indicates that female deck hands, much less captains, are rare.

FRESH FROM THE FARM

North Carolina has a growing aquaculture and mariculture industry. Local farms produce many species that appear on our dinner tables — trout, catfish, hybrid striped bass, freshwater prawns, crawfish and shellfish.

Moving Through the Marsh

Cold outside? Pretend it's summer and journey through a coastal salt marsh. Learn about this habitat now and be that much more knowledgeable when the warmer weather rolls around.