. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Cape Fear Trek Yields Boatloads of Garbage Photo by Edgerton By Carla B. Burgess Three fishermen sit along the banks of the Cape Fear River, watch- ing their lines and, every now and then, casting a glance at the commo- tion on the water. Six canoes glide over the glassy surface of the river just outside of Fayetteville, darting in and out of the arches of draping willow oak branches along the shore. Small motor boats hum along the river too, making frequent stops on the bank near the fishermen. Cath
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. Cape Fear Trek Yields Boatloads of Garbage Photo by Edgerton By Carla B. Burgess Three fishermen sit along the banks of the Cape Fear River, watch- ing their lines and, every now and then, casting a glance at the commo- tion on the water. Six canoes glide over the glassy surface of the river just outside of Fayetteville, darting in and out of the arches of draping willow oak branches along the shore. Small motor boats hum along the river too, making frequent stops on the bank near the fishermen. Cathy and Bill Merritt motor to the shore with their first haul of the morning. Four large trash bags yield the catch of the day—bottles, cans, bait cups, a pair of pants, a tire and rim, a shoe, plastic bags. They anchor the front of the skiff Off and on all morning we motor up the river until we see a trashy stretch of bank that is accessible. Then we get out and search for debris. We find it along the water's edge, nestled in the ground cover, wedged in fallen trees and even hid- den under blankets of poison ivy. "This is disgusting," Cathy says, wondering what impact it would have if we dumped the debris into the offenders' kitchens. Bill and Cathy are perturbed that Big Sweep doesn't entice people who need its educational message most. "The ones that throw this stuff down aren't the ones out here pick- ing it up today'' Bill says. Bill and Cathy say they heard about Big Sweep on the radio, then • -~ "'\:; -. in the wet sand, and I help Cathy add the bags to the pile on the shore. "Catch anything?" Bill hollers to the fishermen on the bank. One of the men nods his head left and right. Bill motions with his head toward the pile of bags. "You see all this trash we've been picking up. You're not going to leave any of yours behind, are you?" "Naw," the fisherman says, as we push off. called Anne Morriss, the coordinator for the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
