Georgia sound, Vol. 11, no. 1 (Jan. - Mar. 2005

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Georgia

Sound

JANUARY-MARCH, 2005

VOL.11, NO.1

Coastal Resources Division Featured on National TV
National television came calling to Coastal Resources Division's (CRD) doorstop in January as personalities from cable television's "The Weather Channel" visited with staff and participated in a trawl aboard the Research Vessel Anna. Filming stories along Georgia's coast for The Weather Channel's "Road Crew" segment, the television crew focused on the environmental influences of weather. While on board the Anna the Atlanta based weather team learned about the effects of climate and weather changes in estuaries. The television visitors also learned about weather influences on shrimp seasons and inspected freshly caught shrimp and other marine life.

CRD staff members were interviewed and provided valuable information for the special Weather Channel segment which aired nationally for several days in late January.

For the TV segment, the Anna's Rusty Flournoy demonstrates the deployment steps of the trawl net.

Photographs by Lea King

Visiting Weather Channel crew members enjoy a morning of environmental and marine education with CRD Marine Fisheries personnel.

Inside This Issue:
CRD on TV 4-H Orange Tide Study

Coastal Estuarine Land Conservation Program
The R/V Anna ~ CRD's First Lady

Spud Woodward, CRD's Assistant Director for Marine Fisheries, examines and explains the trawl contents to the
Weather Channel's Kelsa Kinsly.

New DNR Underwater Archaeology Station
Ship to Shore

Short Strikes
Georgia Sound on the Web

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By: Jeremy McGuire & William Prince ~ Glynn Academy Students & Glynn County 4-H'ers

4-H Orange Tide Study

Beach Water Quality Update

This past summer, the beaches on St. Simons Island experienced beach swimmer advisories due to

elevated levels of bacteria found in the beach water through routine testing by the CRD Beach Water

Quality Monitoring Program. The challenge is to find from where the bacteria could be coming. The

Glynn County Senior 4-H Club Sea Monkeys took on this challenge with their "Orange Tide Study," a

resourceful study conducted with volunteer time and donations. Here the 4-H'ers describe their

unique study.

Peach on the Beach

To say we were "bummed out" about the swimming advisories this past summer, well that would've been an understatement. Almost all of the teens in our 4-H club live on St. Simons Island and when we learned about the water quality problems at East Beach, we were seriously disappointed. The beach is where we hang out with our friends and family, and it is a special place we all go to just chill out. It puts a different spin on paradise when you think it might be polluted. So when Ms. Elizabeth Cheney from the Beach Water Quality Monitoring Program, Coastal Resource Division, came to speak at our 4-H meeting about the mysteriously high enterococcal bacteria readings, we all agreed that our stake in this issue was as great as anyone's.

With Ms. Cheney's information, we really started talking about the marsh. Sure, we ride over the Torras Causeway twice a day to Glynn Academy, and yes, we know that the marsh water ultimately ends up in the ocean. "Hands-on science" Jeremy McGuire marks However, we never truly thought in a "scientific way" about the fact that we
oranges for the Black Banks drop.
could be riding our boogie boards on marsh water. None of us had given serious thought about the route the marsh water took on its way out to sea. This seemed like an interesting opportunity to do a study; we could learn more about the unique place we live and possibly help our community. With Ms. Cheney's cheerful guidance, we put our teenage brains together and came up with the "Orange-Tide" marsh water study.

Our group studied several aerial photos of Gould's Inlet, Postell Creek, and the Blackbanks River. We started talking about the shape of Gould's Inlet, the speed at which the water flows through it, and even the possibility that sandbars might be trapping the marsh water. It was from these discussions that we started developing our hypothesis: Marsh water traveling out of Postell Creek and Blackbanks River could be deposited along St. Simons beaches.

Initially, we tried to think of floatable,

biodegradable and environmentally safe

objects to help us track the marsh water flow.

We eventually expanded Ms. Cheney's

suggestion of tangerines to include oranges, limes, grapefruits, and lemons. Our fruit of

Members of the Glynn County Senior 4-H Club "prepare" citrus fruit to be used in the group's Orange Tide experiment.

choice was most definitely large naval oranges; Photographs by Elizabeth Cheney

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although, we took whatever free citrus we could get our hands on. We also noted that a large naval orange could stay afloat for more than two weeks in our club saltwater tank without harming the inhabitants or showing signs of disintegrating. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) sea turtle expert, Mark Dodd, brought us some special wildlife-safe orange paint to spray on the lemons and limes. This paint would help make smaller fruit easier to spot in the water on the beach.

Equipped with binoculars and recording materials, (L-R) Jordan Andrew, Angelina Tebarts, Shauna Crowley, and Harvest Hale look for
oranges on East Beach the morning following the orange release.

We also worked to get citrus fruit donations from local businesses (Winn-Dixie and Harris Teeter). The fruit didn't need to be high quality edible specimens; it just needed to be intact. The grocers collected their routinely pulled citrus fruit for two weeks and instead of discarding it, we were allowed to put it to good use. Of course, we had to promise that no hungry 4-H'ers would consume the aging fruit.

After we had collected a total of 280 citrus, we marked half of them with a black band using a permanent marker. The black band marked the sample that would be dropped into the Blackbanks River. The remaining 140 unmarked citrus would be dropped into Postell Creek.

We determined that the best time for our group to do the orange drop was during the ebbing high tide on Saturday, December 18th at 1:30 am. Sea Island Naturalist, Ms. Stacia Hendricks helped to coordinate the use of Rainbow Island and the Sea Island Causeway Bridge for our Blackbanks River drop. After dropping 140 marked oranges into Blackbanks River, we traveled to Ocean Boulevard. Area resident, Mr. John Jones kindly agreed to let us use his marsh dock at 2:00 am and we certainly appreciate his tolerance of the early morning splashes.

At 7:30 am on December 18th, we divided into four groups and walked the chilly St. Simons Island beaches covering our pre-designated quadrants (#1: Landsend, #2: East Beach, #3: The King and Prince, #4: The Pier). Ms. Cheney provided our group with detailed maps of each of these quadrants and this helped us mark the location of any "beached" oranges. Following just one tide cycle, we discovered nine oranges that had originated in Postell Creek. They were charted between Landsend and East Beach. At 1:00 pm, we kayaked Postell Creek with Southeast Adventures and spotted 17 unmarked oranges in Postell Creek and Gould's Inlet. At 1:30 pm, a group of 4-H'ers walked the beaches again but found no newly beached oranges. Of course, we learned that this ebbing high tide was not the best time to search for the oranges.

On December 19th at 11:00 am, the 4-H'ers spotted 24 oranges from Landsend to the King and Prince. Of the 24 oranges discovered, only one originated from Blackbanks and it was found close to the Landsend boardwalk. The majority of the oranges had made their way from East Beach to the King and Prince area but none were found between the King and Prince and the Pier. There were a few oranges in various stages of seagull consumption and two oranges had definitely been discovered by dogs first.

On December 22nd, 4-H'ers biked the beach from the Pier to Landsend and spotted two Postell Creek oranges in the surf in front of the East Beach boardwalk.

Jeremy McGuire and William Prince note the location of three oranges that washed up on East Beach.
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Black Banks Rivre
Sea Island

On December 26th, local resident and avid Sea Island beach walker, Judy Lezama spotted three black banded oranges (originating in the Blackbanks River) on Sea Island. She contacted our group and was kind enough to retrieve the oranges and mark our map. The Sea Island oranges were pristine as far as beached oranges go and this led us to theorize that the majority of the Blackbanks River oranges ended up around Sea Island rather than on St. Simons Island.

Rd.

Sea Island Causeway

Frederica
Island

Simons

Our study wasn't designed to answer the big mystery of why St. Simons Island beaches were testing high for enterococcus bacteria or even if the marsh water was responsible for the problem. What we know for certain is, the marsh water from Postell Creek and the Blackbanks River does travel to area beaches and it is our hope that this information will help open the door for future marsh investigations. As for now, our 4-H group is planning another "Orange-Tide" marsh water study for March or April. Next time, we hope to collect more citrus fruit, drop them into a different arm of Postell Creek, and time the drop on an ebbing spring tide.
We, the Glynn County Senior 4-H Club Sea Monkeys, would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to Ms. Elizabeth Cheney, the Coastal Resources Division and the Georgia DNR. Thank you for inspiring us to make a difference and encouraging us to ask how. We don't feel quite so "bummed out" anymore.

St.

Postell Creek CEaaustseBweaaych

Demere Rd. Ocean
Blvd. Bruce Dr.

Goulds Inlet
Atlantic Ocean

**Parties interested in volunteering or donating fruit for the next 4-H Orange Tide Study contact 4-H leader Robbie Gray at (912) 634-1682.

The X's mark the locations of the two orange drops in Postell Creek and Black Banks River. Blue circles indicate Postell Creek oranges that were found the first day. Blue triangles indicate Postell Creek oranges that were found the following day. Blue squares indicate
Black Banks oranges.

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By: Jan Mackinnon ~ Coastal Technical Assistant

GCMP and You

Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP)
In 2002, the Appropriations Act for the federal Departments of Commerce, Justice and State created the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP). This program was established to protect coastal and estuarine lands considered important for their ecological, conservation, recreational, historical or aesthetic values. The program provides funding for projects through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that ensure the conservation of these areas for the benefit of future generations.

In Georgia, lands within the 11-county Georgia Coastal Management Program (GCMP) area are eligible for funding under CELCP. Potential types of lands to be protected include marshland hammocks, Carolina Bays, privately owned marshes, lands adjacent to river corridors, areas of historic or cultural significance, lands adjacent to state parks or historic sites, coastal maritime forests, hardwood bottomlands, and longleaf pine forests.

CELCP strives to build upon existing conservation efforts that aim to protect water quality, habitat connectivity, vanishing landscapes, natural ecosystem functions, history and culture. Georgia's plan includes many state-wide efforts underway to protect lands, including Georgia's Land Conservation Partnership Plan, Georgia's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (DNR/WRD), "Facilitating Human Dimensions Research on the Future Management of Coastal Marsh Hammock Development," "Scenic America Last Chance Landscape," The Georgia Conservancy's nomination of marsh islands, Conservation of Carolina Bays, and The Nature Conservancy's land protection efforts.

The National Criteria for Eligibility requires that land submitted for acquisition protect important coastal and estuarine areas that have significant conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, or aesthetic values, or that are threatened by conversion from their natural state to other uses. The Criteria give priority to lands which can be effectively managed and protected and that have significant ecological value. In addition to these criteria, the project must directly advance the goals, objectives, or implementation of the states' programs (e.g. GCMP and Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve).

GCMP is currently devising a draft plan to submit to NOAA. Our hope is that funding will become available to acquire properties with these conservation values.

The CELCP was established to protect coastal and estuarine lands considered important for their ecological, conservation, recreational,
historical or aesthetic values.
Photograph by Jan Mackinnon

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The R/V ANNA - CRD's First Lady

The year was 1964 and citizens all along the coast of Georgia anxiously watched the movement of Hurricane Dora. Yet the two Wilson brothers Howard and Johnny were working under a wooden shed on the shore of the Mackay River near St. Simons Island. They had a dream - a dream that was being meticulously pieced together from oak, cypress, and heart-pine, some of which came from the old Oglethorpe Hotel. They were building a shrimp trawler that would be named Anna in honor of their mother.

In 1966, the Wilson brothers' 60-foot

The R/V Anna began working for the State of Georgia in the late 1960's and is still a vital part of the Coastal Resources Division research studies.

creation slid down the rails to begin life on the water. However, the Anna's destiny

Photographs by Lea King was not in Georgia's shrimp fleet. After

only two shrimp harvesting seasons, the Wilson brothers decided to pursue other opportunities, and the

Anna was sold to the State of Georgia. Although her career as a working shrimp trawler was short-lived,

the newly christened Research Vessel (R/V) Anna was destined to make her mark.

In 1968, the Georgia Game and Fish Commission (CRD's precursor) had responsibility for management of the state's commercial fisheries; of these the largest was, and still is, shrimp trawling. Over 1,500 trawlers plied the tidal rivers, sounds, and near shore Atlantic waters for brown and white shrimp. Millions of pounds of the tasty crustaceans were landed at seafood houses. However, little was known about the biology and population trends of these economically and ecologically important species. There was much to be done and the R/V Anna was quickly put to work.

Initially, she was used as a multipurpose vessel doing everything from ferrying dignitaries to barrier islands to serving as a mother ship for gill net surveys to transporting scientists into the open Atlantic Ocean. However, in 1970, marine scientists began a three-year pilot study to determine if a coast-wide trawl survey was practical and could produce useful information to help protect and manage shrimp, blue crab, and finfish populations along the 100-miles of Georgia Ccoast.

Marine Biologist Associate Jim Page regularly utilizes an electronic measuring board to measure bycatch aboard the Anna.
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Through the heat of summer into the cold rains of winter, scientists equipped with paper forms, pencils, wooden measuring boards, and simple scales collected information (e.g. species, lengths, weights, etc.) from the sea creatures that landed on the culling table. Environmental data describing coastal waters were also collected. Never before had there been such a comprehensive evaluation of the ecology of Georgia's estuaries. The knowledge gained during those early days is still the foundation for conservation and management of white shrimp and blue crabs.

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Scientists and fishery managers quickly

realized the value of this information from the

Anna and made a decision to continue the survey. In 1974, the pilot effort was replaced with a sampling program that continues to

On a typical day aboard the R/V Anna, Billy Readdick, Marine Technician I (L) weighs bycatch and Marine Biologist I Dewayne Roberson collects water chemistry
as part of on-going scientific studies.

present day. Despite ups and downs in the

budget, and through climatic extremes such as droughts and winter freezes, scientists have continued to

collect biological and environmental data. Nowhere else in the southeast United States is there a scientific

trawl survey with such longevity and credibility.

Nowadays, the R/V Anna is a familiar sight to commercial and recreational fishermen as she travels the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway between Savannah and St. Marys. Each month, a 40-foot trawl is used to collect marine organisms from six estuaries: Wassaw, Ossabaw, Sapelo, St. Simons, St. Andrew, and Cumberland. Each estuary is divided into four sectors for sampling purposes: small creeks, large creeks and rivers, sounds, and near shore ocean waters.

From 1977 through 1991, scientists working from the R/V Anna tagged and released thousands of shrimp. Recaptures of these marked crustaceans help scientists and fishermen better understand how weather, tide, and man's activities affect shrimp movement in the estuaries and the open Atlantic Ocean. Shrimp tagged in Georgia were recaptured as far south as Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Captain II Jack Evans is one of two Captains currently piloting the R/V Anna for Coastal Resources Division.
THE GEORGIA

The R/V Anna has also carried SCUBA divers far out into the Atlantic Ocean as they searched the sandy bottom for outcroppings of limestone and other hard substrates, as well as shipwrecks. She towed a barge to an offshore artificial reef and deployed buoys used to mark these underwater fish havens.

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During her 37 years of public service, thousands of Georgia citizens and visitors have walked the deck of the R/V Anna and witnessed firsthand scientists at work. For some it was the first time seeing a shrimp not frozen and breaded, for a few it was learning that horseshoe crabs are kin to spiders, and for others it was almost sensory overload as they saw, smelt, and touched things they have only seen in books or on television.

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Regardless of whether they are a student or teacher, a youth or adult, a professional or amateur, all who spend a few hours aboard the R/V Anna leave with a greater appreciation of the vast bounty of nature and of man's responsibility to be a wise steward of that bounty.

As we enter the 21st century the R/V Anna continues to

transit the waterways of coastal Georgia taking a new

generation of scientists and amateur explorers on a voyage of

discovery. The information provided by these scientific surveys

enables the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to guide

conservation policies with facts, not guesses. Gone are the wooden measuring boards, paper forms, and

Captain I Rusty Flournoy lets out cable to deploy the shrimp net during a routine trawl aboard the Anna.

simple mechanical scales once used by scientists. Gone is the Bulky Loran-C navigation electronics and

the paper-fed sonar. They have been replaced with state-of-the-art electronic equipment, such as

computerized fish measuring boards, gravity-compensating electronic scales, satellite-based Global

Positioning Systems, and color digital sonars. Yet, all of this high-tech gadgetry is housed in a wooden

vessel almost four decades old a fitting tribute to two brothers who had a dream called the Anna.

Original Gyotaku Artwork Presented to CRD

Rusty Flournoy, one of the two current captains aboard the R/V Anna, is an artist at heart and uses sea life as both inspiration and subject matter while practicing the ancient art of "gyotaku." Gyotaku (gheeyo-tah-koo), means "fish print" in Japanese; gyo means fish, and taku means print, rubbing, or impression.

Rusty Flournoy (R) presents the
gyotaku he created of a southern
flounder to CRD Director Susan
Shipman.

In gyotaku a fish is painted with acrylic paint and then pressed onto rice paper for the finished impression. Having practiced the craft for over two years, Rusty created a gyotaku of a southern flounder for the DNR Coastal Regional Headquarters.

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GA DNR Establishes New Underwater Archaeology Station at the SkIO Marine Science Campus

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Historic Preservation Division has established a new Underwater Archaeology Station in Savannah, Georgia. The office has been created through an innovative partnership between the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Georgia Southern University's Applied Coastal Research Laboratory and DNR. The new office on Skidaway Island will focus on conservation, recreation, and research of publicly-owned archaeological sites on state lands and water bottoms.

This is the first university system/state partnership of its kind for a state underwater archaeology program. As DNR's Underwater Archaeologist Jason Burns states, "this is a natural fit because the center of marine sciences for Georgia is here on Skidaway Island. DNR's ability to work with the University System in this new endeavor will add tremendous value for Georgia citizens." The new office has already received a grant from the National Park Service (NPS) to conduct underwater archaeology investigations on the Ogeechee River in Bryan County focusing on the area near Ft. McAllister State Historic Park. The NPS is also currently seeking funding to conduct another underwater survey in St. Catherines Sound. Dr. Clark Alexander, Professor of Geology at the Skidaway Institute and Director of the Applied Coastal Research Lab, foresees great potential in this partnership that will, in his words, "create synergies that enhance the abilities of both the University System and DNR to carry out their missions of research, conservation and public education."

Burns is interested in speaking with anyone who knows of any archaeological sites in Georgia's waterways. He can be reached directly at
Jason_Burns@dnr.state.ga.us
or 912-598-3346. Additional information on Georgia's new underwater archaeology program and coastal archaeology office can be found online at Dr. Clark Alexander, (L-R) SkIO Faculty & Director of GSU's ACRL, Dr. David Crass, State Archaeologist, Wwww.gashpo.org.
and Jason Burns, DNR Underwater Archaeologist.

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From the Director's Desk

Susan Shipman

SHIP TO SHORE... Coastal Resources Division Director

Georgia's Unique Coastal Environment

Georgia's coast is known for its unique beauty ---- its rich history, and cultural and natural heritage. But perhaps the feature that best distinguishes our coast is our vast tide lands. We have 700,000 acres of marsh and water bottom combined. Of that, 400,000 acres is saltmarsh, representing a considerable portion of all remaining marshlands along the entire eastern coast of the United States. This year marks the 35th anniversary of passage of landmark legislation by the Georgia General Assembly ---- the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act of 1970. This Act has been instrumental in protecting this natural heritage, and is lauded nationally as model legislation for coastal habitat protection.

Georgia's marshes are some of the most productive and diverse ecosystems on earth. Valued conservatively at $10,000 per acre for the services they provide, these marshes are worth $4.0 billion. Among their many functions, they prevent erosion and subsidence; serve as a storm surge buffer; assimilate pollutants; provide critical habitat for rare, threatened and endangered species; provide recreation and eco-tourism opportunities; provide a water-based highway for commerce; and comprise essential habitat for Georgia's multimillion dollar seafood industry and saltwater sportfishery.

Recognizing these values, the Georgia General Assembly passed the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act in 1970, distinguishing us the first state to protect our tidal marshes. The Act declares that the saltmarshes are vital areas of the state and of such importance to all of the citizens as to require state regulation so as to ensure their values and functions are not impaired. The recent saltmarsh die back which affected over 1,000 acres, caused all in coastal Georgia to take notice of the sensitive, fragile nature of our marshes.

Our marshlands are only one part, albeit perhaps the most visually captivating part, of a broader ecosystem of great value and importance. Georgia ranks as one of the six most biologically diverse states in the nation, and the coast has the highest density of protected species in the state. One reason the coast has such species richness is our maritime forest. This is a vanishing habitat, and Georgia has the majority of remaining maritime forest on the East Coast.

Georgia's sensitive natural communities such as maritime forests and marsh hammocks, are facing unprecedented development pressures. Lands that no one would have dreamed of building on in the past, are now economically feasible to develop. Impacts associated with marsh front development can include changes in hydrologic patterns, loss of green space and wildlife habitat and corridors, introduction of non-native flora and fauna, visual impacts of man-made structures, and degradation of the adjacent marsh and surrounding water quality. Our challenge is to influence low impact development, smart growth, sustainable development ----- whatever you want to call it ----- to avoid those impacts. This entails conserving the natural landscape, e.g., greenspace; limiting impervious surfaces; and concentrating new growth in areas served by appropriate infrastructure.

The Governor recently announced the development of a comprehensive, coastal growth management plan to assure quality growth in our coastal region. This was a key recommendation of the Tourism Task Force of the Commission for a New Georgia. Such a plan will take into consideration all of the various aspects of growth pressures being brought to bear on Georgia's coast, including tourism, economic development, transportation, natural and cultural resource protection, housing and other critical infrastructure. This planning would take into account not only the natural systems but sociocultural and economic impacts. And it will hopefully access the tremendous intellectual and technological capital of Georgia's academic and research institutions to provide the needed sound science underpinnings.

The Department of Community Affairs will take the lead in spearheading the initiative. But it will no doubt entail a strong collaboration involving state agencies, local governments, the Regional Development Centers, and the many citizen stakeholder interests. DNR looks forward to being a part of this effort. Because at the end of the day, current and future generations of Georgians want an economically vibrant coast rooted in the rich natural and cultural heritage, which is a cornerstone of the Governor's New Georgia.

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By: Spud Woodward ~ Assistant Director for Marine Fisheries
Short Strikes

Ft. McAllister Boat Ramp Repair Completed
A public boat ramp located near Ft. McAllister has long offered coastal boaters and fishermen quick access to the Ogeechee River and the waters of the Ossabaw estuary. However, time and tide have not been kind and the ramp has deteriorated thereby making boat launching hazardous. During 2004 and early 2005, staff with the Marine Fisheries Section, in partnership with Bryan County, renovated this ramp. The submerged portion of the ramp, originally built from concrete logs, was replaced with a solid 30 by 35-foot, 7-inch thick concrete slab reinforced with a 12-inch rebar grid. Low tide depth at the end of the ramp is now five feet. The upland access to the ramp was also replaced with a solid concrete slab. Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration was used to fund the $30,000 repair cost. Bryan County provided an excavator and work crew to help with the repair. For more information about coastal boating access contact CRD's Shawn Jordan at (912) 264-7218. Additional information can also be found on the CRD website at http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us.
Public Learns About Redfish Stocking
For more than a century, hatchery-reared fish have been used as an integral part of freshwater fisheries management. Now, scientists are experimenting with stocking popular saltwater fish like red drum, spotted sea trout, and cobia. During December 2004, Wallace Jenkins with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Bill Halstead with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission visited Georgia and spoke at two public meetings. They shared information about their respective states' redfish stocking programs to an audience of anglers, fishing guides, and scientists. At the same meetings, Coastal Resources Division staff discussed the Peach State Reds Initiative, which will be Georgia's first redfish stocking experiment and will take place in Wassaw Sound. For more information about redfish stocking log onto the CRD website at http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us.or contact CRD's Spud Woodward at (912) 2647218.
Green Floats for Recreational Crab Traps
Crabbing with a chicken neck and dip net or lift ring is one of coastal Georgia's most popular pastimes. In 1998, Georgia law was changed to allow recreational crabbers to use up to six commercial-style crab traps (2 X 2-ft wire mesh) without having to purchase a commercial fishing license. Over time, conservation rangers and scientists have found it very difficult to separate a commercial trap from a recreational trap without close inspection of every float an impractical situation in waterways with hundreds of traps. Thus, the Board of Natural Resources approved a change that will require all commercial-style crab traps used for recreational purposes to be marked with either a fluorescent or lime green float effective April 1, 2005. Crab trap users have the option of painting their existing floats or using floats manufactured in the required colors. As previously required, the name and address of the owner of the traps should be legibly written on the float. Crab traps tied to private or public docks should also be marked with a colored, identified float. For more information about the float color change or Georgia's blue crab fishery contact CRD's Doug Haymans at (912) 264-7218 or log onto the CRD website at http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us.

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Georgia

Sound

JANUARY-MARCH ,2005

VOL.11, NO.1

Department of Natural Resources
Coastal Resources Division One Conservation Way, Suite 300 Brunswick, GA 31520-8687

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Georgia Sound in Full Color on the Web
For "colorful" editions of the Georgia Sound, just log onto the Coastal Resources Division web site at http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us. Beginning with the Fall 2004 edition, the newsletters are now featured on the web site with color photographs. Past editions with black and white photos can also be found on the site as well.
Hhttp://crd.dnr.state.ga.us

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Georgia

JANUARY-MARCH, 2005

Sound VOL.11, NO.1

Coastal Resources Division Featured on National TV

Inside This Issue:

The Georgia Sound is produced quarterly by the Georgia Coastal Management Program. If you would like more information on the
Georgia Coastal Management Program, visit our web site at http://crd.dnr.state.ga.us
or contact Coastal Resources Division at (912) 264-7218.
Layout & Design by: Lea King For address corrections or to be added or deleted from the mailing list,
please contact Lea King at (912) 264-7218.
Lea_King@dnr.state.ga.us

Contributors to this issue: Jason Burns, Elizabeth Cheney, Lea King, Jeremy McGuire,
Jan Mackinnon, Jim Page, William Prince, Susan Shipman, and Spud Woodward,
This publication is made possible through efforts by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Deadline for the Spring 2005 edition is April 8, 2005. We welcome suggestions
of articles and photography.