By Richard Seale
Endings and beginnings
On the first day of February, my GPS sounder showed a Bogue Sound water
temperature of 51.7 degrees F. This is a surprisingly warm temperature for what is
usually the coldest part of our NC winter. Although the temperature is not what I
would call swimming weather, it is a relatively kind one for speckled trout and rock,
which are in the sound and creeks preparing to spawn. The Ml 7-style MirrOlures,
which are suspended lures, as well as freshly unfrozen shrimp or live mud minnows,
all fished in slow-moving retrieves, can reward folks with nice-sized legal fish.
Add to the mild water temperatures the mUd daytime temperatures on many .
days, and a fishing trip is not only possible, but can be downright enjoyable. Find
a low wind day with calm seas in the ocean, and legal-sized black sea bass can be
landed from structured bottom sites from Atlas Tanker to Big and Little 10.
Safety first. The lower power requirements of text transmissions from
smart phones can actually work from these locations much of the tim.e. Voice
communications require more energy levels to work. A good working and tested
marine radio is the most reliable direct communication device relative to emergency
communications. Obviously, a reliable GPS and a float plan with estimated return
time are equally important when wandering offshore this time of year. A wearable
life preserver that is actually worn, a true “weather eye,” and running at sensible
speeds relative to the waves being encountered can make the difference between
a great day and a disaster. Even at temperatures in the low 50s, the effects of
hypothermia are of real concern. At 50 degrees and below, exhaustion or loss of
consciousness can be anticipated within half an hour to an hour of water time. Death
is likely within water times of an hour to six hours. To see the full chart, go to www.
pfdma.org/choosing/hypothermia.aspx.
Passing the torch. The duck seasons closed on Saturday, January 30. There were
a couple of goose seasons that went on for a couple more weeks, but by the time this
gets to you all migratory bird seasons will be finished.
For several years, I participated in swan banding programs that were being run
at Mattamuskeet and Pungo reserves. Cannon nets were rigged in a semi-circle on
points of land and the area was well-baited with corn. On a given day, when a good
supply of high school kids, who served as “swan holders,” and wild life biologists
were on hand, the 5 to 8 net cannons were fired. They had been loaded with
projectiles weighing about three pounds each, which, in turn, were tied to large nets
that had been carefully stacked so as to deploy behind the projectiles. The projectiles
carried the net over the swans that had gathered to eat the corn. Two of us would
crawl under the net and into the maelstrom of swans trapped there.
It was critical to grab swans and get them out to holders as soon as possible.
Otherwise, they had a tendency to pile up on top of one another and actually
smother one another. The swans would weigh in the 18-26 pound range, and it was
not unusual to have between 90 and 120 swans in the net. In short, we had to grab,
get control of wings and feet, and pass out more than a ton of swans. The swans
were very good at elbowing us with their wing “elbows” and scratching with their
big clawed feet, but seldom bit us
or the holders. We were not only
pretty tired when we emerged from
under the net with the last swan,
but, despite heavy clothing, gloves
and hats, our cheek bones would be
bloodied like we’d lost a good fist
fight. '
Holders controlled swans in bear
hugs until biologists could weigh,
sex, and apply leg and neck bands.
Once this was done, the biologist
handed the swan back to its holder,
who took it to the water’s edge and
released it to cheers.
Area farmers had been
requesting some swan population
control. Thousands of swans feed
on winter wheat fields, inflicting
real losses. North Carolina
instituted a limited, 5,000 permit-
only swan season based on data we
collected. My sons and I, friends,
and now my grandchildren,
annually apply for swan permits,
which are awarded by random drawing.
In mid-January, my granddaughter Lauren bagged her first swan. She did it in
front of seven adult men, several of whom she did not know—with her first shot and
relished the applause the men gave her. And so, in a cold and windy Hyde County
field, I felt a torch had been passed.
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1^' -A-'?
F f
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Lauren Seale, 16-year-old granddaughter of Pine
Knoll Shores residents Richard and Linda Seale,
bagged her first swan recently in NC’s permit-only
limited season.—Photo by Roger Seale
Ask the Aquarium
Barnacles are crustaceans and must molt to grow; however, they don’t shed their
calcium shells like other crustaceans. Instead, they create another calcium layer over
the existing layer. As the calcium layers accumulate, the barnacle enlarges.
The barnacle’s central opening is at the top of the shell. Six pairs of larval legs called
“cirri” (feathery, fan-like structures) rhythmically wave in and out and back and forth
from the opening. The cirri are like tiny hands, pulling water in and out to capture
planktonic and tiny passing food bits for the barnacle. Barnacles that have formed
beds must be covered with water twice daily to survive. When the tide falls below the
barnacles’ level, they retract their cirri and close their shells to avoid drying out.
Barnacles are most visible in shallow areas. Two of the most common are acorn
barnacles and gooseneck barnacles. The term “acorn” refers to their resemblance to
acorns of oak trees. The other common specimen is the gooseneck, so named for the
flexible, tube-like holdfast it uses to attach itself to objects.
Discover more fascinating facts about North Carolina’s aquatic environments and
inhabitants by visiting the aquariums on Roanoke Island, at Fort Fisher and at Pine
Knoll Shores, or Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head.
(Continued from page 12)
Acorn barnacles make'
a veiy strong adhesive
which they use to
attach to floating debris.
Many barnacles were
attached to the rash of
cold-stunned turtles that
washed up on beaches
recently. The painted
numbers on the turtles
are for identification. If
they wash up on other
beaches that have micro
chip capabilities they will
be tagge^. they can
continue to be tracked.