Guest columnist Tom Looney recently attended a celebration of oysters in New York, noting North Carolina’s absence despite being ideally positioned to compete in the growing shellfish aquaculture market.
Guest Columns
Guest Column: A River Brings Folks Together
A recent event held to celebrate and inform on efforts to protect and restore the Cape Fear River, the ninth annual StriperFest brought together people of different backgrounds and political affiliations.
Guest Column: Cypress Trees as Sentinels
Marcelo Ardón of N.C. State says cypress trees can serve as sentinels of North Carolina’s coastal sounds, and the public can help in discovering what these trees can tell us about the effects of sea-level rise and other changes.
Guest Column: Costly Catfish Trade Barrier
North Carolina seafood dealer Justin Conrad says a federal program created under the guise of improving food safety is nothing more than a trade barrier to imported catfish, one that also puts the state’s agriculture-export business at risk.
Guest Column: Seismic Tests Won’t Harm Fish
The president of the only trade group for companies and people involved in seismic testing for oil and natural gas says there’s no evidence that the tests harm fish as some environmental groups now claim.
Guest Column: Hottest Year Chills Claim
2015 goes down as the hottest year in recorded history, blowing away the previous record and the claim that climate change has leveled off since the late 1990s.
Guest Column: Seismic Tests Critical
Donald R. van der Vaart, the secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, responds to congressmen who oppose proposed seismic tests off North Carolina.
Guest Column: The State of Predators
Sharks splashed across headlines this summer but not reported is that many shark species are near extinction and that could upset entire marine ecosystems.
Guest Column: The Science of Shark Bites
What explains the surprising number of swimmers recently bitten by sharks along N.C. beaches? Coastal scientists offer theories today in our guest column.
Guest Column: If We Save It, They Will Come
The conservation work in Brunswick County has attracted Apple Inc., which recently bought 36,000 acres of forestland to sustainably harvest timber, two conservationists say.
Guest Column: Asleep at the Helm?
Duke geologist Orrin Pilkey raises the question about the state and its coastal management program after a project at North Topsail Beach left tons of rock on the beach.
Guest Column: Buffer Bills Shortsighted
Two bills in the state legislature that would eliminate or greatly reduce buffers along the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico rivers would place greater burdens on cities, towns and farmers to clean up the polluted rivers.
Guest Column: Reflections on Saving a Forest
A leader in the effort to save Hofmann Forest reflects on the victory and cautions that further vigilance may be needed.
Guest Column: Ill Wind Blows From Raleigh
A promoter of offshore wind energy argues that a request by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources to ban turbines within 25 miles of shore would kill any chance of developing wind farms off the N.C. coast.
Guest Column: Drilling Means Jobs
David McGowan, executive director or the N.C. Petroleum Council, thinks offshore drilling can be done safely and would provide jobs and boost the coastal economy.
