ACCESS NUMBER: 30949 

STUDY TITLE: Boating Uses, Economic Significance, and Information Inventory for 

North Carolina’s Offshore Area, “The Point.” 

REPORT TITLE: Boating Uses, Economic Significance, and Information for North 

Carolina’s Offshore Area “The Point.” Volume III: Data Related to the Hatteras Middle 

Slope (“The Point”) Area 

CONTRACT NUMBER: 1435-01-98-CA-30949 

SPONSORING OCS REGION: Gulf of Mexico 

APPLICABLE PLANNING AREA(S): Mid and South Atlantic 

FISCAL YEAR(S) OF PROJECT FUNDING: 1999-2000 

COMPLETION DATE OF REPORT: August 2002 

COST(S); FY 1999 $62,350; FY 2000 $1,945.25; CUMULATIVE PROJECT COST 

$64,295.25 

PROJECT MANAGERS: Steve Ross 

AFFILIATION: North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve 

ADDRESS: National Estuarine Research Reserve, 7205 Wrightsville Avenue, 

Wilmington, NC 28403 

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR(S): E.F. Aschenbach, S.W. Ross, and J. Ott 

KEY WORDS: The Point, commercial fishing, tourism, oil spill

BACKGROUND: The U.S. East Coast continental slope from Norfolk Canyon south to 

Cape Lookout, North Carolina represents a dramatic physiographic and 

sedimentological transition between the Middle Atlantic Bight province of major 

submarine canyons and the South Atlantic Bight province of the Blake Plateau. Recent 

investigations revealed that the Hatteras slope (in an area of undetermined geographic 

extent) is characterized by anomalous biological and physical attributes. These include 

the highest densities of benthic infauna anywhere along the U.S. East Coast continental 

slope, unusual communities of benthic fishes and megafaunal invertebrates, a 

particulate sedimentation rate much higher than that at adjacent regions, and 

sedimentary evidence for an exceptionally high flux of labile organic carbon to the 

bottom. In addition to the unique physical and biological attributes of this region, the 

area has been a target for potential hydrocarbon exploration since 1982. The lack of 

appropriate environmental data to assess impacts from potential development prompted 

many recent studies. 
ACCESS NUMBER: 30949 

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to create a centralized compilation of the 

research conducted in the area known as “The Point.” 

DESCRIPTION: In response to the increased number of recent studies in the area of 

“The Point,” MMS in conjuction with North Carolina funded this compilation of the 

research. This annotated bibliography includes published, unpublished, and ongoing 

studies through 1999. Each citation is georeferenced. The area of interest represents a 

block around the Manteo Exploration units at 35° 29′ 23.6′′ N; 74° 46′ 12.7′′ W. East 

and west boundaries end at the 20 meters and 2000 meters depth contours, 

respectively. The north and south borders extend 40 kilometers on either sided. 

SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSIONS: One very important thing learned in the process of 

collecting this information is that “The Point” is a productive and important fishing area, 

with physical conditions that concentrate biota (birds, marine mammals, turtles, fishes) 

in a relatively small part of the ocean. 

STUDY RESULTS: This report represents a fairly complete compilation of the data that 

have been collected in a small area bounding the Manteo Exploration units. Each 

citation is georeferenced and a map is included in each section. While the report is not 

a data synthesis, it should be an important foundation for future environmental 

assessments. 

STUDY PRODUCTS(S): Palmquist, R.B., P.W. Schuhmann, and J.A. Michael. 2002. 

Boating Uses, Economic Significance, and Information for North Carolina’s Offshore 

Area “The Point.” Volume II: Economic Analysis of “The Point” and Adjacent Counties: 

Baseline Information, Valuation, and Potential Impacts. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 

Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, New Orleans, LA. OCS 

Study MMS 2002-046. 32 pp