The research is geared toward finding the best ways to train community volunteers to collect data on underwater seagrasses in waters throughout the state in a program led by Coastal Carolina Riverwatch and the University of North Carolina Wilmington and funded by North Carolina Sea Grant.
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Oyster sanctuary effort attains big milestone; work continues
Water quality and fisheries advocates set a goal to build 500 acres of oyster sanctuary in North Carolina’s Pamlico Sound, a milestone reached in late August, but that does not mean the end of construction.
‘A gentleman’: Coastal commissioners recall Joe Hollowell
Hollowell is remembered as a political conservative who was also an early advocate for the state’s Coastal Area Management Act and active in various local government roles.
Fisheries fix: ‘If you can’t hatch them, you can’t catch them’
Guest opinion: Jess Hawkins spent 30 years working with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and helped develop and then implement recommendations of the Fisheries Reform Act of 1997. “I believe we have lost sight of one of the most important ideas behind that landmark legislation.”
New Coastal Land Trust director knows its inner workings
A temporary position with the North Carolina Coastal Land Trust 24 years ago unexpectedly turned into a career for Jesica Blake, who recently took the helm at the Wilmington-based conservation organization.
State’s voluntary wetlands management plan gets update
To protect North Carolina’s “hidden gems” vital as habitat, for flood control, and nutrient reduction, officials worked with stakeholders to update the Wetlands Program Plan now in its third revision.
Remembering moves us forward: the 1896 ES Newman rescue
This weekend, on the 130th anniversary of the U.S. Life-Saving Service’s rescue of the entire crew from the shipwrecked schooner E.S. Newman off Pea Island, so many questions remain unanswered, but the story and the men’s extraordinary lineage continue to inspire, nonetheless.
Groups challenge diminished endangered species protections
The Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups contend that the approach taken by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik and the rest of the Trump administration “cuts the heart out of the Endangered Species Act.”
Paying attention can indeed pay dividends when fishing
There’s no substitute for situational awareness in becoming a successful angler, and there are innumerable clues to where the fish are for the observant.
Port officials scrap planned $1.3 billion Wilmington project
Facing pushback, the North Carolina State Ports Authority has formally asked the Army Corps of Engineers to halt “further consideration” of the proposed $1.3 billion harbor expansion project.
DEQ’s coastal hazards resilience program marks five years
As the Resilient Coastal Communities Program reaches its five-year mark, North Carolina Division of Coastal Management held a daylong workshop last month in New Bern to consider the program’s successes and challenges.
Duck to welcome diverse artists’ roster for annual jazz festival
A preview performance is set for Saturday, Oct. 10, and then performances are scheduled continuously throughout the day on Sunday, Oct. 11.
Commercial fishers ask NOAA to downlist Atlantic sturgeon
North Carolina fishermen want the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reduce protections for endangered Atlantic sturgeon. Scientists say recovery isn’t so simple.
Cape Fear River Watch vows to hold Chemours accountable
Cape Fear River Watch, via its representation, the Southern Environmental Law Center, contends Chemours Co. continues to exceed emission and discharge limits established under a 2019 consent order between the company, the organization and the state environmental agency.
If you don’t live on Hatteras Island, don’t attempt going there
N.C. Highway 12 remains closed at Pea Island until at least Wednesday morning and nonresident visitors and nonresident property owners are not permitted to enter Hatteras Island.
Fellow coastal scientists, advocates reflect on Joe Ramus’ life
The respected professor, prolific researcher, former Duke University Marine Laboratory director, and environmental steward died Tuesday.
