THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, January 12, 1996               TAG: 9601120697
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER 
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   68 lines

COMMISSION IS CASTING AROUND FOR FISHERY GRANT IDEAS WITH DEADLINE NEAR, PROPOSALS FOR AGENCY FUNDS ARE WAY DOWN.

With $1 million in grant funds available, the state's Marine Fisheries Commission is casting around for a few good ideas.

Commercial watermen, recreational fishermen, seafood processors, biology teachers - any citizen of North Carolina - is eligible to receive money from the state's Fishery Resource Grant program.

Whether you have a plan to create new value-added fish products, develop more efficient oyster growing methods, or find less destructive ways to tag and release fish, the grant administrators want to hear your proposal.

``You can have up to two years to complete most projects. Aquaculture studies can get up to three years,'' Maury Wolff said. As grant administrator for the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, Wolff oversees applications for the state's resource grant program. He had only received 18 applications for the 1996 funds as of Thursday afternoon.

Created with special funding by the General Assembly, the grant program began in 1994. Members of the state's Marine Fisheries Commission, who award the grant money, reviewed 143 proposals last year. They allocated $1 million to 36 of the projects.

The deadline for applications for the 1996 grants is Tuesday.

``You can apply for any amount of money, for any type of project,'' said Wolff. ``To my knowledge, the largest grant given out last year was $97,000 to remove the Quaker Neck Dam from the Neuse River near Goldsboro. The only people who aren't eligible for grants are members of the Marine Fisheries Commission.''

Other projects funded through the 1995 fishery resource grant program included:

$2,800 to develop computer software for fish dealers so that they could electronically file trip ticket reports from commercial watermen

$10,000 to create by-catch reduction devices for shrimp trawlers

$46,000 to create and install artificial reefs to help sports fishermen.

``The grant applications are very simple: a one-page explanation sheet and a one-page form. All we really need to know is what you're going to do, how you're going to do it, how much it will cost, who you are, and what benefit the state could expect to receive as a result of your research,'' Wolff said. ``We give up to 25 percent of the funding up front, up to 50 percent during the life of the project, and the remaining balance when the final report is approved.''

A seven-member sub-committee of the state's Marine Fisheries Commission will review each application and recommend awards to the full 17-member board, Wolff said. The commission hopes to announce its grant recipients by the end of March. Applications are available at any Division of Marine Fisheries office. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

FISHERY FUNDS

Tuesday is the deadline to apply for $1 million in state Fishery

Resource Grant funds.

Any commercial waterman, recreational fisherman, seafood processor

or citizen of North Carolina is eligible to receive money for a

fishery-related research project. Grant applications are available

at any Division of Marine Fisheries office.

For more information, or to receive help with an application or

idea, call the Division of Marine Fisheries at (800) 682-2632 or

(919) 726-7021.

by CNB