Releases – August 12, 2010
The N.C. Marine Patrol recently wrapped up criminal cases against three fish house owners caught buying red drum without reporting the transaction.
Donald Carlisle Gilgo of Coastal Seafood in Sea Level, William Jerry Warren of Fresh Ketch in Grantsboro, and Floyd Shelton Cuthrell of S&S Seafood in Aurora were all found guilty in their respective county courts of not recording fish on a trip ticket. They were ordered to pay replacement costs to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Conservation Fund totaling $9,671.50.
The Marine Fisheries Conservation Fund is administered by the Marine Fisheries Commission and is used for marine and estuarine resources management, including education about the importance of conservation.
The cases began in October 2009 when Marine Patrol officers received information that a fish dealer in Carteret County was possibly buying large amounts of red drum from local fishermen and not recording the transactions as required by state law. At the time, state fishing rules allowed fishermen to harvest and sell only seven red drum per day, and the weight of the red drum could not exceed the weight of other fish, like flounder and mullet, in the catch.
In response, officers examined trip tickets from 31 fish houses statewide that deal in red drum and compared them with their sales receipts for the period from June 2009 to October 2009. Fish dealers in North Carolina are required to report every fish they buy from a fisherman on a trip ticket.
“We found that at three of the fish houses there was a major discrepancy between what was reported on trip tickets and what was sold,” said Lt. Harold Knudsen, with the Marine Patrol’s Central District.
On March 1, Marine Patrol Officer T.E. Saunders charged Gilgo with eight violations of state fisheries laws. Officer Bryan Spain charged Warren with 16 violations and Cuthrell with eight violations of fisheries laws. In court, all the charges were consolidated into one charge each of failure to record each transaction at the time of landing on a form provided by the Division of Marine Fisheries.
Cuthrell pleaded no contest April 15 in Beaufort County District Court. He received a suspended sentence and was ordered to pay $971.50 in replacement cost to the Marine Fisheries Conservation Fund for 670 pounds of unreported red drum in addition to fines and court costs. He was also ordered to turn in a trip ticket for the unrecorded fish.
Warren pleaded guilty April 30 in Pamlico County District Court. He received a suspended sentence and was ordered to pay $1,450 in replacement cost to the Marine Fisheries Conservation Fund for 1,000 pounds of unreported red drum in addition to fines and court costs. He was also ordered to turn in a trip ticket for the unrecorded fish.
Eastern North Carolina residents still rely on commercial television more than Internet, radio, or alert services for updated information when a hurricane threatens, East Carolina University researchers have found.
“This was a surprise,” said Catherine F. Smith, who leads a multidisciplinary project funded by North Carolina Sea Grant. “With the ubiquity of the Internet and the expansion of cell phones today, we had expected to see more people relying on those sources.”
More than 1,000 residents of 21 counties were surveyed in 2009 for the study of hurricane risk information use and emergency communication.
The research team—Donna J. Kain, Smith’s colleague in the English Department, and Kenneth Wilson, a sociologist—has worked closely with local, state, and federal agencies involved in storm warnings and preparedness, from county leaders to the National Hurricane Center.
The Sea Grant project offers immediate results and has provided groundwork for ongoing efforts looking at risk communications. “This study provides reliable data for emergency managers to update procedures to get the best information quickly to those who may be in the path of a pending storm,” said Michael Voiland, North Carolina Sea Grant’s executive director. “Our ultimate goal is saving lives.”
TV ranks as the primary source of severe weather information for 95 percent of residents. Other important sources include personal networks (including word-of-mouth), commercial radio, and the Internet.
Residents with access to cable TV service mostly rely on local affiliates of major networks and on national news channels such as The Weather Channel. Few residents use public-access channels, a source for local severe weather updates. Satellite users may not have access to cable channels or to local channels.
During hurricanes, residents who rely on TV or the Internet will likely experience power outages, which may lead them to turn to unfamiliar sources for information.
“Residents of eastern North Carolina should become more familiar with commercial radio or NOAA weather radio,” Smith recommends. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration radio and commercial stations can be accessed with battery-operated receivers.
Alerts delivered by cell phone are another untapped opportunity for emergency-related information. The study found that 86 percent of residents reported that they have cell phones, but only about 20 percent of residents who have them use subscription or free alert services. Many weather-related websites and local TV stations offer free or low-cost alert services.
Most residents said that they are prepared for hurricane season, and three out of four reported having a plan. Even more reported that they know the emergency hurricane routes and the location of emergency shelters.
Serious hurricanes can be disastrous for businesses and organizations. Having an emergency plan ready before a disaster is a good indicator of whether they will be able to operate post-disaster. The Sea Grant study also surveyed or interviewed more than 700 businesses in the 21-county area. Of those studied, 72 percent reported having a formal plan to handle severe weather emergencies.
Surprisingly, location was not an important factor. An oceanfront location, for example, did not increase the likelihood that a business would have a plan.
Several factors, however, influence whether a business is likely to have an emergency plan. Such businesses are most likely to have regular connections to others, access to reliable information, and more employees. They also are most likely to receive updates directly from local emergency management.
“These findings suggest that the best prepared are the most connected,” Smith said. “A business or organization that has strong ties to local emergency management for information and to others for potential cooperation during disasters might cope better with situations.”
More than half of the businesses and organizations with a plan reported that they have used it in an emergency. Some said that they have regular drills.
North Carolina Sea Grant is an inter-institutional program of the University of North Carolina system that provides research, education and outreach opportunities relating to current issues affecting the North Carolina coast and its communities.
Detailed findings of the study of hurricane risk information use and emergency communication, including reports for each county, can be found at www.ecu.edu/riskcomm.
The Top Dog Pinfish Derby was held Saturday, August 7, out of Wildlife Bait and tackle in Southport. The event is a fundraiser to purchase Christmas gifts for the underprivileged children of Brunswick County.
The winners were 1st Place – Tim Stansbury at 0.42 lbs.; 2nd Place – Bryson Morgan at 0.32 lbs.; and 3rd Place – Lily Dodgens at 0.30 lbs. The smallest pinfish award went to Bud Birmelin at 0.02 lbs.
As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) updates its 2010 Atlantic hurricane season outlook, a new tool is ready to be tested to help identify flood potential from tropical storms that hit North Carolina.
The Coastal and Inland Flooding Observation and Warning System, known as CI-FLOW, is introduced in a new video now available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J276vYNcyxA.
The five-minute piece reveals the critical need for routine total water level forecasts in our nation’s coastal watersheds. Floyd presents a tangible example to illustrate the physical processes that cause catastrophic flooding in coastal watersheds.
Animations illustrate how the prototype system, developed by CI-FLOW researchers, integrates information from atmospheric, river, and ocean monitoring and prediction systems. This approach will allow CI-FLOW the capacity to routinely produce total water level information that accounts for river flow, tides, waves, and storm surge.
“CI-FLOW will expand NOAA’s flood forecasting capabilities to help save lives of those residing and working in coastal watersheds,” says Suzanne Van Cooten, research hydrometeorologist at NSSL.
The project’s first testbed includes the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse river basins in North Carolina and adjacent coastal waters. “We are proud to be part of this national effort and that fills real-world needs in our communities,” says Jack Thigpen, North Carolina Sea Grant’s extension director.
For more information, go to the CI-FLOW site at www.nssl.noaa.gov/ciflow.
