The Cape Fear River stretches about 191 miles from east-central North Carolina to the Cape Fear region, which centers on Wilmington. And between shipping traffic to the Port of Wilmington, commercial fishing boats and private watercraft, the mouth of the Cape Fear River is one of the busiest areas of the North Carolina coast.
However, not much is known about the area’s ecosystems. Water quality and marine life were studied between the 1970s and 1990s, but that work looked at near-shore ecosystems. That’s why a new study now underway is so important.
It’s called TEAL-SHIPS, which stands for Transect Expedition to Assess Land-to-Sea Habitats via Interdisciplinary Process Studies (yes, it’s a mouthful). Essentially, scientists will look at all ocean systems and the marine life that live in them from the mouth of the Cape Fear River all the way to the Gulf Stream.
The $1.5M project was funded by the North Carolina General Assembly. Scientists from UNC Wilmington (UNCW), UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State and East Carolina University are participating.
“This project reflects an intentional investment by the UNC System in marine science within the system, especially given the projected changes in coastal ecosystems with climate change,” said Bradley Tolar, assistant professor at UNCW and lead investigator on the project, in an article on the university’s website. “It is critical to monitor our coastal ecosystem long-term to better understand how shifts in the Gulf Stream or climate could impact our state’s marine industries, including fisheries and aquaculture.”
Scientists plan to set sail every three months, setting course to six locations that stretch from the river’s mouth to the Gulf Stream. It’s hoped the three-month interval will capture any seasonal changes.
During the voyage, researchers will collect fine-scale water samples to get a sense of how the Gulf Stream current is moving as well as any changes in that movement. Zooplankton and larger phytoplankton from the samples will be studied to see how organisms change over time.
The Gulf Stream is the powerful ocean current that begins in the Gulf of Mexico, curves around the tip of Florida and travels up along the Eastern Seaboard. It then curves east along Canada and Greenland, where it warms western Europe.
The Gulf Stream is important to North Carolina because it transports nutrients as well as species. There is some thought that rising ocean temperatures may weaken the Gulf Stream over time.
In addition to water samples, researchers will conduct two 20-minute fish trawls at each location to capture as much fish as possible. Fish that are caught will be counted, and 10 of each species will be collected for analysis.
It’s hoped that the fishing trawls will provide information on the diversity and abundance of fish and how fish communities change from shore to sea.
“The TEAL-SHIPS Transect Expedition not only strengthens collaboration across the UNC system but also provides vital data that will shape the future of coastal conservation and resilience,” said James J. Winebrake, Ph.D., president of Coastal Carolina University, in the UNCW article.
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