I-Jnc Sea Grant February 19BB

A. I-jNC Sea Grant February 19BB

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r til I ll B-E-D The taxis tide put clammers like these By Kathy Hart oul of iuslness

F Photo by Jefferson T. Ihrner a a ! c c L nvasion of the Red Tide

ctober 31, 1987, rvas D-Day in iained neurotoxins that affected the coastal North Carolina. neruous systems of other creatures, in- cluding man. atches of yellow-green organisms invaded the waters of North Carolina's ther types of red tide possess coast. paralytic and diarrheic toxins ihat cause paralysis and diarrhea, respec- cientists at the state's three marine tively. Some red tides carry no toxins laboratories scurried to sample and at all. Photo bl Scott Taylor magnify the organisms under their microscopes. They quickly identified Iong ihe surf, crashing waves the intruding organisms as "red tide." crushed the red tide organisms and sent their toxins airborne. That's what North Carolina? ed tide in caused surf and boat fishermen to his isn't Florida, Texas or Long cough and feel dizzy and nauseous. is com- Island Sound where red tide he toxins can paralyze the gills of nothing red mon. Besides, there was fish, making it impossible for them to yellowish slicks that clouded about the pass water over their gills. They soon the waters. suffocate. prognosis proved The ut the right. ut the toxins do not taint their flesh. were a subtropical tiny organisms It is safe to eat fish, crabs and shrimp species of a red tide dinoflagellate taken from North Carolina's red tide tlrevis. called Ptychodiscus waters. are single-celled ore simply, they ysters, clams and scallops are a dif- plants. few animal But they have a ferent matter. characteristics such as the tiny hair- Iike flagella that permit them to swim. hese shellfish, which filter their food from the surrounding habitat, concen- espite their name, all red tide trate the toxins in their digestive not red. This par- dinoflagellates are systems. And since oysters and clams was yellow-green, although ticular tide are eaten whole, they are dangerous to Fat Tester, right, helps identi{y red tide some patches were brick red. organism consume even if cooked. coughing, nd it Ieft beachcombers f tainted shellfish are accidentally and shellfishermen out fish suffocating eaten, this type of red tide will not of work. cause death, says Dan Kamykowski, a hat could be in organisms 20 red tide expert at North Carolina State microns (a micron is one thousandth of University. But Kamykowski says that a millimeter) big that could do such red tides found along the Canadian can be damage? and Central American coasts deadly. eurotoxins. This dinoflagellate con- :'rt5rt

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o eliminate any threat to the public's ester believes the tide hitched a ride red tide was an "imported" organism. health, the N.C. Division of Shellfish on the northbound Gulf Siream. She ut Kamykowski says there are at Sanitation recommended that the N.C. points to red tide breakout in Naples, Ieast two other reasons why the red Division of Marine Fisheries ban the Fla., on Aug. 24. tide may have occurred. hanrest of shellfish along a 2OO-mile ( ( e believe that the Gulf Stream stretch of the Tar Heel coast until he organisms could have already was 'seeded' with the red iide counts of the organisms dropped. been present in offshore sediments in a organisms then," she says. seedlike cyst form. The cysts were at Tester, a biologist at the National orty-eight days Iater the tide was en- possibly planted during a previous red Marine Fisheries Service in Beaufort, croaching on North Carolina's tide that either no one noticed or no says counts of the organisms ran as coastline. Tester says that the travel one identified, he says. high as 20 million per liter. Immediate time between Naples and North offshore areas and inlets-Beaufort, he wind, wave and weather condi- Carolina in the Gulf Stream would be Bogue, Bear and New River-had the tions this fall may have simply jolted 40 to 60 days. most organisms. the cysts into growth. oth Tester and Paerl also point to ounts must drop below 5,000 cells r it is possible, Kamykowski says, the unique configuration of the Gulf per liter before state officials will con- that the species is a "natural part of Stream prior to the red tide's ap- sider reopening waters. After the our marine community'l-one that has pearance. Satellite infrared counts drop, officials must wait a few gone undetected. weeks to reopen waters so that photographs revealed that an eddy of shellfish can purge themselves of the the warm-water current veered directly ut whatever the cause, the main toxin. into Cape I-ookout. questions on the minds of shellfishermen and beachcombers are n mid-December, seven miles of he close proximity of the Gulf water how Iong will the tide stay and will it were reopened between Avon Stream plus a gentle onshore wind may and come back? Brooks Point. have pushed the red tide ashore, scientists sat. cientists simply don't know the Tester says counts in the Beaufort ut answers. Kamykowski says that very area were still high in December- nd the winds also may have caused little is known about the life history of 100,000 organisms per liter, By the Iocalized upwellings of natural ocean this organism. first of January, counts had dropped nutrients that feed the red tide below 50,000 organisms per liter in organisms, Paerl says. ut state officials are hoping that a most areas, and scientists hoped the new study will find some answers. The aerl does not believe that this red new year's surge of cold weather Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine Study tide outbreak was linked to pollution. would end the tide's visit. Technical Committee approved a But Kamykowski says other outbreaks $25,000 federal-state grant to study by the red tide's of different red tide organisms may be cientists are baffled whether the tide is Iikely to return. Iong stay. Sea Grant researcher Hans connected to pollution problems. Paerl says warm waters, sunny days he study will determine whether the aerl says the red tide not only and light onshore winds have caused dinoflagellate is forming cysts that are hitched a ride. It brought a friend-a the tide to linger. Iikely to sulive through the winter. If marine blue-green algae also typically the cysts sulive, they could threaten nd those conditions may have con- found in subtropical watem. the state's waters again next year. tributed to the tide's initial onslaught. n fact, Paerl says the siicks of non- But there are differing opinions among ut shellfishermen hope that's not the toxic blue-green algae were often scientists about just why the Tar Heel case. They've had enough of the tide mistaken for red tide. And its ap- coast was invaded. red. pearance supports the theory that the called By Sarah Friday

Photo by Scott Taylor own and Out in Coastal l{orth Carolina

wenty-seven dollars a day isn't shops showed declines of $500 to his December, it wasn't there. much, but oysterman Phillip Dixon of $3,000 per week. And charter boat Mill Creek figures he's lucky to make services, $14,000 per week. n top of that, some fishermen risk that much. losing houses and boats because of he timing of red tide couldn't have missed mortgage payments, Phones e knows fishermen who haven't seen been worse. have been cut off, meals skipped and work in weeks. furnaces left cold. he 1987 brown and pink shrimp ( ( ed tide took their jobs. seasons left most commercial here's people down here that's fishermen empty-handed. The poor real hurt," says Pinky Lewis, a fisher- ow Dixon must drive 60 miles to put fishing led many to put their hopes in man for more than 40 years from in his l7%-foot workboat. Then it the winter shellfish harvests. Beaufort. "Every day that it goes on, takes another hour and a half on the they're that much closer to going out." water to reach the oyster beds, nd things looked good. ed tide hit the small operations, the ome days his harvest is good-as rices were up for North Carolina individual fishermen, the hardest. If much as seven bushels. 0thers, it is oysters, clams and scallops because they couldn't fish, they tried to find hardly worth the drive to the dock. harvests in Maryland Virginia and construction work or other kinds of were small. iding out the ebbs and flows of the jobs. 0r they worked on their boats ( get red tide has been rough for 9,000 of ' e were looking forward to a big and hoped things would better. the state's shellfishermen. season this year," Dixon says. "We ut for some, fishing is all they know. had the biggest setting (crop) of oysters he slick muck of algae that spread So they went out of their way to find in eight years." across the waters of Carteret, Onslow, open waters with untainted shellfish. Pender and New Hanover counties efore the tide, oystermen were pull- 0r they switched to another fishery. during fall and early winter stymied ing 10 to 12 bushels out of the water a y mid-November, clammers around the oyster, scallop, finfish and clam day. Now that's been cut in half. Beaufort started gill fisheries. sink netting, net- he scallop harvest looked good, too. ting and crabbing. Oystermen and he toxic tide led to a ban on "There were scallops like you'd never clammers farther south began gill net- shellfish harvesting in the 200-mile seen," Dixon says. ting for spot, speckled trout and puppy stretch from Avon to long Beach. And drum. it scared the public from eating favored ut red tide hurt that fishery, too. fish. More than 50 percent of this year's ther fishermen geared up for off- bay scallops died, says Sea Grant shore runs for tuna and king mackerel. he N.C. Division of Emergency researcher Charles Peterson, a shellfish efore long, everybody was fishing for Management gauges red tide cost the expert. And many of the juvenile the same thing in the same place, says state more than $4 million in regard to scallops-next year's harvest-died Bob Austin, a full-time fisherman from commercial fishing, also. Williston, "You go set two to three t quelled the recreational fishing in- ost commercial fishermen count on nets in the morning and when you get dustry, too. In the four-county area, shellfish for an extra $2,000 to $3,000 back there's a 100 on top of you. pier ownerc lost from $4,000 to before Christmas, says fisherman Mark There's so many of us at it, it oowds $12,000 per week. Bait and tackle Hooper of Smyrna. the market," he says. r:6

Last year, sights of fishernen raking oyslers were cam- man; this year they were nonexistent

Cantaminated oyster beds were left un- toucbed, anly to paint a pretg picture Photo bp'Scott Tay'lor

he saturation plus less demand for ack home, the state allowed com- finfish forced prices down, Austin says, mercial shellfishermen to relay oysters Where he once got 50 cents a pound and clams from polluted areas to for croaker, now he gets 22 cents. cleaner waters for $1 a bushel. Fishermen could harvest and replant ommercial fishermen in Florida, up to 500 bushels per week. Connecticut and Texas faced a similar scene last year. oney for house or boat payments was also made available through the n Calhoun County, Texas, more than state's Community Seryice Block Grant q 2,500 shellfishermen lost $100,000 a pr0gram. E c day during a red tide outbreak. It c washed over the bays in September nd the deadline to purchase 1988 oi 1986 and kept the oyster season closed commercial fishing Iicenses was moved until November, says Joe Surovik, a from February 1 to March 31, marine agent with the Texas Agri- und raising took a different turn in cultural Extension Service. Raleigh where a contingent of Florida hat's why Neal Lewis and friends esearchers found the toxin residual fishermen and seafood dealers held a decided to provide some aid. in oysters, so the state closed the 1987 fish fry December 19 to benefit their season, too. northern neighbors. With the help of ewis, executive director of the the N.C. Fisheries Association, they Carteret County Chamber of Com- he outbreak not only hurt commer- cooked 5,000 pounds of grouper, merce, helped organize an effort to cial fishermen, it affected tourism and mullet and black drum fillets and distribute Thanksgiving turkeys. The ruined the county's recreational reeled in $10,000 for the state's success of "love Tide" spurred the fishing industry, Surovik says. needy fishermen. community to plan more events for Christmas and the rough months to came elief slowly, mostly from state n the coastal counties, employeru or c0me. and local organizations willing to fry a employees who pay unemployment in- fish, flip a bingo chip or hand out food surance can file for aid, But most o matter how tough it gets, most of donations. fishermen do not qualify. North Carolina's fishermen try to stay on the water, says Clinton Willis, a etting help for North Carolina's ocial services can help with food Smyrna fisherman and president of the fishermen and seafood took businesses stamps and utilities. Carteret County Waterman's time, too. Association. Ithough counts of participants are n November, the federal Small up, especially in Carteret County hey help each other. They fish Business Administration denied a plea where one third of the state's commer- regardless of the money. for low-interest loans on grounds that cial fishermen work, most families red tide did not classify as a natural have not applied. or one thing, Willis says, four disaster. Congress rescinded red tide as ( ( generations of Willises have fished such a disaster by an act in 1981. ou're dealing with some very before him. proud people, some very independent ut North Carolina's congressional people," says Dennis Moffett of the Ius, "lt's just like the circus," he delegation was not daunted. In late N.C. Division of Emergency Manage- says. "You go there and it's hard to December they passed a bill declaring ment. Asking for help isn't part of get the sawdust out of your nose." the red tide infestation a disaster in their nature. With fishing, "l can't get the salt our North Carolina, making the loans of my blood." available after all. .lair./),';-y115,,j ik3f,

By Nancy Daui,s

Banned shell{ish scared consumers away from atherwise safe seafoad Photo by Scott Tallor eafood Lovers Avoid the Captain's Platter

ncle Henry's 0yster Roast has seen the fish by paralyzing its gills or by seafood dealer John Peterson usually some bad seasons . . . but none as bad reducing oxygen Ievels in the water. sells about 60 gallons of shucked as this one. oysters. ut seafood consumers didn't trust hen the toxic red tide swept into what they were hearing. And even pic- his season, he sold 20 gallons. North Carolina and closed 200 miles of tures of Gov. James Martin sampling the state's coastal waters, it nearly North Carolina seafood did little to he oysterc came from Virginia, wiped out the Wilmington restaurant's change folks' minds. several hundred miles from the North business. Carolina waters affected by red tide. he effects of the red tide rippled But folks were afraid the oysters had ovember and December are peak through coastal North Carolina like the come from contaminated waters. months for oysters, the restaurant's Domino effect. First fishermen, then specialty. Usually at that time of year, seafood dealers, and eventually, t the Bridge Tender Restaurant in Uncle Henry's does about $1,700 restaurant and hotel owners suffered. Wilmington, manager Bob West took worth of business each week. an educational approach to the report released by the N.C. Division problem. He trained his wait staff to ut this year, red tide got the best of of Marine Fisheries estimated that answer customers' questions about red that business. more than 600 coastal businesses were tide. losing millions of dollars because of n early December, the restaurant was the red tide. About 9,000 commercial est also made sure his staff knew taking in less than $100 a week. fishermen were affected. where the restaurant's seafood came from. generation enry Kirkum, the third of t couldn't have happened at a worse his family t,o operate Uncle Henry's, time. Fishermen count on the shellfish ortunately for West, the restaurant's "People just quit says, eating for Christmas money. And seafood bill of fare included more than They just come everything. don't even dealers usually see business pick up seafood. He noticed a sharp rise in in." during the holiday season. orders for prime rib and steak. ( ( ed tide dealt a blow to North rom the individual clammer any coastal businesses have ac- Carolina's seafood industry. But con- whose livelihood is at bay, it's trickled cepted this season as a loss. But punch sumer fear struck a knock-out down to people who truck the clams to seafood retailers and restaurateurs are that left some owners of small seafood people who serve the clams in optimistic. They think that once the restaurants and markets struggling to restaurants," says Doug Brady, owner red tide has diminished, folks will get on feet. back their of Meridian Seafood, a wholesale and start buying their product again. retail seafood business in Morehead hellfish-oysters, clams and ut if the red tide returns, as some City. scallops-in affected areas were scientists believe it will, the seafood banned. But finfish, shrimp and crabs rady estimates his business dropped industry wants to be prepared. were safe to eat, by 80 percent because he couldn't con- or dealers in the southern part of vince his customers that seafood was ven so, consumers were wary. And the state, that means banding together safe, many swore off seafood altogether. to form the Cape Fear Seafood Dealers' people Association. he result: the red tide took a larger " 've had come in here who toll on the seafood industry than it had have lived on the coast all their life to. and say, 'I want some fish. Can you get me some from out-of-state?"' eafood experts say the toxic algae af- Brady says. fects only shellfish, Although the red tide may kill some finfish, fish are safe to eat. The algae doesn't concentrate in the flesh of a fish. Instead, it kills 7 , I ; I I I I TIIB B/I()KI?I(ilI

"Tlrc BackPugd' is ott uprlott: on Scu Tt N.C. Division of Southeast. The seventh annual show " Grurtt ac'tixitic.s - ott rascarch. tutrint: Marine Fisheries has promises to be no exception. trlttcotiorr uttrl udai,sort1 scruicc,s. lt's $73,200 that it plans to March 11 to 13. boat dealers and also a good plucc to find oul ubttut use to help North Caro- marine manufacturers rvill display ncctirtgs, ttork,gltttlts and rtcu publi- lina fishermen buy their lines at the Crystal Coast Civic c'cttictrts. I"or rnore irjormutittrr ott otltJ TEDs. Details of the Center in Morehead City. Representa- of tht' proiccts clcscribed, corttrtct tltc DMF's TED Purchase tives rvill show the latest in fishing Sca C)rari off iccs in Ralcigh (919/737- Program will be presented in a series boats, nets, motors, traps, pots, engines 2151). For t'oltics of publicutirtrts, of six public meetings held along the and accessory gear. rcrlfc [.lNCi Sca (]rarft, NCSt.t. Bor North Carolina coast the last week of And seminars will be offered on ( 8605. Ral i sir, l\-.C. 27695-8605. February. The meetings will be co- commercial fishing topics. sponsored by Sea Grant. The shorv is cosponsored by UNC At the meetings, Sea Grant agentJim Sea Crant and the Carteret County In the September Bahen rvill present information about Waterman's Association. Merchants we told you Coastuatch, and show models of the different kinds interested in participating should call about Sea Grant agent of TEDs, provide hand-outs and sum- Sea Grant agent Bob Hines at 919/ Jim Bahen's efforts to marize their performances. A DMF %:7-4007. a netmaker to work rvith representative will outline the purchase develop an inexpensive project how to apply and receive or The winter months turtle excluder device money for- buying a certified TED. TED. Come May I, federal regula- may be too cold for sun- The meeting schedule is as follorvs: bathing at the beach, but tions r.vill require shrimp trawlers 25 lvlonday, Feb. 22, 7-8:30 p.m., Bruns- they're just right forplant- feet in length or longer to use TEDs in rvick County Agricultural Extension ing. you're a coastal offshore waters in North Carolina. The If office, Bolivia; Tuesday, Feb.23, B:30- property owner, this is devices are designed to exclude en- 10 a.m., New Hanover County Agri- the time to protect your dangered sea turtles from nets. cultural Extension office, Wilmington; investment with beachgrasses, shrubs So far, the National Marine Fisheries Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7-8:30 p.m., Service has certified five types of and ground cover. Sneads Ferry Volunteer Fire Depart- Sea Crant has several guides excluder devices. The structures vary And ment, Sneads Ferry; Thursday, Feb. that can help you. from aluminum boxes to deflector grids 25, 7-8:30 p.m., N.C. Division of Seacoast Plants of the Carolinas or to rveb screens. The lveb screens are f Marine Fisheries, Morehead City; Fri- and Beautification is a called "soft" TEDs. Conseraation day, Feb. 26, 7-8:30 p.m., Pamlico general guide on the use of plants for Bahen's new TED is of the soft vari- County Agricultural Extension office, ety. Nicknamed the "Parrish" TED landscaping and stabilizing coastal Bayboro; Saturday, Feb. 27, 9:30-11 illustrated descrip- after inventor Steve Parrish of Supply, soils. It contains a.m., Hyde County Agricultural Ex- tions of over 100 plants that are native this excluder device awaits final tension office, Swan approval by NMFS. Quarter. to the North Carolina coast. Ask for The money will be available to UNC-SC-73-06. The cost is In October, it passed field tests. The $4.50. fishermen in early March. It comes Building and Stabilizing Coastal Parrish TED barred all sea turtles from from the N.C. Department of Com- provides in- the shrimp net's tailbag. Dunes u:ith Vegetafion merce's Energy Division. It was dis- structions on transplanting, fertilizing The Parrish TED, made of B-inch tributed to the state by the federal webbing, deflects turtles downward and maintaining dune grasses with government for use in energy effi- detailed information on species. Ask through a 40-inch hole in the bottom of ciency projects. The money had been UNC-SC-82-05. The cost is the net. The opening is held rigid by a for $I.50. collected from oil companies that were Crasses Erosion rectanglar bar and closed r.vith an elas- Planting Marsh f or penalized f or overcharging consumers tic Controlprovides a guide to transplant- chord. in the 1970s. pressure ing, fertilizing and maintaining marsh But from a large object TEDs increase energy efficiency by the grasses for estuarine erosion control. such as a turtle will cause opening reducing the drag on nets created by gap Ask for UNC-SG-81-09. The cost is to and allow the turtle to escape. turtles and other bycatch. Parrish is sewn into the net $1.50. The TED For more information about the meet- betrveen the main bodv and the tail- Remember, coastal property is dy- ings, contact Bahen at 919/458-5498. namic. dollars these books bag. Bahen says it is easy to install and A few for and the plants recommended will be costs $80 to $I00. helps keep For further information about the Tt X.C. Commercial Fishing worth it if it those sandy Parrish TED, call Bahen at 919/ Show "is making waves as one of the soils from sifting away. 458-5498. biggest boat and gear shows in the Continued on next page Wh"n Sea Grant agent Sea Grant Nlarine Advisory Servicr: providc advice on everything from \\rayne \Uescott visits his Director Jinr Nlurray is conducting an shrirnping to landscaping. There's clientele, it's usually fish- assessrient of artificial reef programs something for the tourist, thc fisher- ermen in Hatteras, Coling- in the lvlici-Atlantic and Southeast. man, thc boater, thc cotrservation- ton, Edenton or Engel- In the. study, funded by thc N.C. Di- minded and rnore. Nlanl,o{ thc, publi- hard. tsut in late January, vision of \larine l-isheries. Nlurray rvill cations arc pictured, and there's a forirr \\/escott made a visit that intervie*' fisheries managers from for convt,nient ordering. w,as out of this country. Nerv Terse), to Texas to find out horv Don't n'riss out on a single bit of Sea He traveled to Turkey to provide each statc conducts its prograrn. Grant inforrnation. advice for developing a soft crab shed- \\ihen thc study is completc, DN,IF Order it no'rr,. It's frec. ancl there's ding industry on the shores of the will use tlie information to forrrrulate a sorncthing in it for evervone. Mediterranean Sea. The Turks harvest plan for North Carolina's artificial reef Ask for LINC-SG-BB-03. a species of crab that is similar but prograln. slightly smaller than our blue crab. But the l'urks knor.v nothing about U\JC Sca Grant has reccivecl its Coastuatch is published monthly shedding their crabs into soft-shell funding for 1988. The prograrn \\ias except July and December by the Uni- delicacies. That's rvhy \\rescott, a allottcd S1 .I84,000 - the same arriount versity of North Carolina Sea Grant Col- nationally renown shedding expert, it has rt.ccivecl for the past tu'o vears. lege Program, 105 1911 Building, Box r.vas asked to make a visit. 8605, North Carolina State University, The trip rvas paid for b1, a multi- Yn,,'r." eot L.L. Bean ancl Slriegel at Raleigh, N.C.27695-8605. Vol. 15, No.2, national corporation, Destek Interna- .vour fingcrtips. And no\\,. voll c'an add February 1988. Dr. B.J. Copeland, direc- tional. Thc company plans to develop the Sca Criint catalog to your rnaga- tor. Kathy Hart, editor. Nancy Davis thc soft crab as an alternate food zine rack. and Sarah Friday, staff writers. source for the people of Turkey. It's choc'ked full of publications that

00asTnilt'Oll Nonprolit Organization lJ. S. Postage 105 1911 Building PAID Box 8605 Raleigh, N.C. North Carolina State University Permit No. 896 Raleigh, NC 27695-8605 a\ Address correction requested

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