A wall of sandbags extends along the roadside far into the distance aside N.C. Highway 12 on the north end of Ocracoke Island. This is where washouts and erosion from storm surge repeatedly chew away at the barrier island beach and roadway, part of the normal ocean dynamics that humans often try to control. Photo: Dylan Ray
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Hearing on mandated wetland redefinition draws no support
Those who spoke Thursday during a public hearing in Raleigh urged the Environmental Management Commission to work with legislators to rescind the amendment narrowing state protections.
Plan would address threatened eastern black rails’ habitat loss
A public comment period is open on a proposed management plan that seeks to rebuild the once-abundant birds’ numbers by permanently protecting coastal marshes and helping private landowners create habitat.
Overlooking tiny details a recipe for frequent fishing failure
The person you see who just seems to randomly toss a bait out but catches fish all the time is paying attention to nuances that others may miss.
House Republicans decline to take up shrimp trawling bill
The North Carolina Senate’s proposed ban on shrimp trawling in inland and nearby offshore waters is off the table, for now.
State wildlife agency seeks conservation steward nominations
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is accepting nominations for the annual Thomas L. Quay Award through Friday.
‘Injustice’: Lawmakers vow to fight Senate’s shrimp trawl ban
As tempers flare over a proposed ban on shrimp trawling in the state’s inland and nearby offshore waters — a Senate move that supporters deem necessary to protect bottom habitats — coastal legislators opposed to the language vowed Tuesday to side with shrimpers.
UNCW road project adds permeable materials to reduce runoff
Work has begun at the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus to upfit an existing service road as part of a federally supported plan to protect nearby creeks and streams.
Wrong tern?
Least terns are excellent fish-catchers, and when feeding their young can deliver about two fish per hour. Males also catch and display fish during courting, which is what we assumed is going on here. There’s only one problem with that theory: After showing it to the female for a few seconds, when she finally showed interest, he flew away. Photo: William Birkemeier
Rik Freeman’s art examines America’s segregated beaches
An exhibit opening this weekend in Jacksonville features paintings by artist Rik Freeman of Washington, D.C., that depict stories of African American beach communities during the Jim Crow era.
‘Shrimp Day’ in Raleigh to protest proposed trawling ban
N.C. Catch, N.C. Watermen United, Carteret County Fisherman’s Association, Ocracoke Seafood Co. and Carteret Catch are calling for supporters to “Save NC Shrimp: Shrimp Day at the Legislature” starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Raleigh.
Terms of endearment: Understand common gardening jargon
Maybe it’s lingo, or terminology, but whatever you call it, referring to crops’ scientific names can yield helpful clues, and so with an understanding of Earth’s natural satellite.
All North Carolina counties drought free for first time in months
North Carolina’s 100 counties are free from drought for the first time since Oct. 15, 2024.
Senate kicks shrimp trawl ban bill back to House for vote
Despite public outcry against the move, the Senate has voted in favor of the shrimp trawling ban in inshore waters and within a half-mile of the shoreline that was tacked onto a bill earlier this week to open up recreational harvest for flounder and red snapper.
Ocean water is changing colors, getting warmer: Study
Duke researchers used more than two decades’ worth of satellite data collected by a NASA instrument that scans the globe every two days to analyze the changing colors of the open ocean, which could have an effect on fisheries.
Fisheries committee to hear challenges to shellfish leases
A state Division of Marine Fisheries committee will hear challenges to two proposed shellfish leases the division’s director approved in April.
