The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-08-01
STUDY UNDERWAY
OF BACK BAY AND
CURRITUCK SOUND
WildIife Officials Endeavor to
Find Answers To Vege-
fafion Problems

The Currituck Sound Back Bay
area is coming under close scru-
tiny by team of aquatic biolo-
gists who hope to determine the
causes of a deteriorating water,
fowl food problem in the Area
The team, composed of Art Dick.
son, N. C. Wildlife Resources
Commission, Joe Coggin, Virginia
Commission of Game and Inland
Fisheries, and Rudy Rudolph OF
the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice, recently completed two months
work on the project scheduled to
run three years or more.
To study water and vegetation
conditions, the biologists have set
up 10 permanent study transects
totaling 60 miles with 233 sampl-
ing stations.
The transects and stations
were selected to be representative
of the varying conditions found in
the two-State area. Information on
water quality and vegetation will
be collected at regular intervals
at these stations throughout the
study period. From these data the
current status of vegetation, tur-
bidity and salinity can be deter
mined, a seasonal pattern estab-
lished and annual changes COM
pared with such factors as wealth
er, water depths and bottom soils.
Observations on the utilization of
vegetation by fish and waterfowl
will be recorded to determine pref
erences for specific types of vege-
tation.
The lack of precise information
on previous conditions make it
impossible to judge the compare
tive abundance of vegetation in
Back Bay and Currituck Sound.
Local sportsmen are optimistical-
ly interpreting the appearance of
vegetation at the water surface at
this time of year. The men of the
research team are Withholding
their opinions and sticking to
"just the facts, mann" They re-
port sage pondweed as being
abundant and forming sticks in
waters "a deep on the east side
of Currituck Sound from Knots
Island to below the Big Narrows.
Many of these plants are flower
ing and some mature seeds were
noted. Rather large Sticks of sage
in waters up to feet deep are
present in Back Bay on the north
side of Knots Island, in Buzzard
Bay, Red Head Bay, Sand Bay,
and around Ragged and Cedar Is
lands. Flowering is not so adj
vanced as in the shallower Curri-
tuck Sound areas.
Bush pondweed has the widest
distribution of any plant in the
study area; occurring on all but
two of the transects. 1t is the
most abundant plant in Back Bay
and ranks second only to sage in
Currituck Sound. In many areas
bush pondweed was two feet or
more in height and apparently had
persisted over winter.
Wild celery was observed during
the first survey in May and aver
aged about five inches in height.
Now it is between one and two
feet high, with the best stands
found in North Bay, Ships Bay
and Knots Island Bay.
Widgeongrass, Redhead Grass,
and Muskgrass were also noted.
These were found principally in
the Currituck area and generally
had not attained the density nor
maturity of the other plants.
Just how the vegetation will de-
velop through the summer months,
what food supplies will be present
when the ducks arrive and how
gunners will fare during the hunt
ing season will be the subject of
future reports from the research
team. Briefly, the purpose of the
study is to identify the factors
responsible for reduced waterfowl
use of the area and to determine
procedures for correcting these
factors while retaining mr. improv-
ing the fishery values in Curri-
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