More than a mere seafood delicacy, oysters are key to the coastal environment, and North Carolina Oyster Month includes festivities and events that spotlight their importance to the entire state.
Commentary
Five years after Florence: A look back at resilience efforts
Guest commentary: The effects of Hurricane Florence in 2018 linger today, and though progress toward resilience has been made, the recent loss of wetland protections will come to bear after future storms.
Attention NC seafood consumers: Consider the source
Proposed legislation, lawsuits, petitions, and other drastic efforts have been attempted that would deny coastal North Carolinians access to local seafood.
Homebuyers have a right to know about past flood damage
The North Carolina Real Estate Commission is now poised to consider giving home buyers the right to know a home’s flood history and other flood risk information.
Venus flytrap: Carolinas’ most unique plant still in peril
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ruled last month that the Venus flytrap “is not facing an imminent threat of extinction now or in the foreseeable future,” but the agency underestimated the increasing risks.
Coastal crossroads: NC’s growing risk of Maui-like wildfires
Coastal communities face a looming threat as wildfires stoked by the forces of climate change make effective land management, preparedness and response more important than ever.
Make the most of fish you catch and keep: go-to methods
Capt. Gordon doesn’t always keep the fish he catches, but when he does, he has a variety of tried and true preparations guaranteed to please.
Bring fishing gear to help you see what you’re looking at
In the words of Thoreau, “It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
Ode to the Salt Marsh: Paddling the waters less traveled
Photojournalist Mark Courtney shares his images, observations and experiences from 25 years of paddling the salt marshes near Wilmington.
Newton’s 4th Law: Large fish can be caught on light gear
You may have nice gear and the right tackle, but if you are not boating the big ones there are a number of possible reasons, all of which can be addressed through preparation — and physics.
A local call to save seagrass on World Oceans Day
World Oceans Day is a time to consider the threatened underwater meadows that are home to important marine species and the foundation of the coastal economy, writes Ryan Speckman, co-owner and co-founder of Locals Seafood in Raleigh.
AECs: A way for people to promote responsible development
North Carolina has a process the public can use to nominate an Area of Environmental Concern and protect the natural and cultural treasures in coastal areas that belong to everyone.
Coastal Enhanced Weathering: A promising climate solution
UNCW professor Larry Cahoon writes that a nature-based climate restoration solution that his lab is collaborating on may eventually be able to capture a billion tons or more of carbon dioxide each year while reducing ocean acidity and helping to protect coastlines.
Buying out threatened oceanfront homes is not a crazy idea
Dr. Rob Young, director of the Western Carolina University/Duke University Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, compares the costs of a possible buyout of 80 highly exposed properties in Rodanthe to the costs of beach nourishment, which could be triple that amount over 15 years.
Golfing for bass — best use of a course is fishing, of course
While so many variables can make saltwater fishing especially challenging, bass fishing in golf course water hazards can bring success and satisfaction, but there are important points to consider.
Speckled trout fishing is best with a fly rod, just ask Thoreau
What fly fishing may lack in efficiency is more than made up for in the personal fulfillment of living deliberately.
