The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is awarding $14.9 million to the North Carolina Coastal Federation for oyster habitat restoration and a program to encourage underrepresented university students to study marine sciences.
News & Features
Court upholds that trawling doesn’t violate Clean Water Act
Federal court judges upheld last week a 2021 district court decision that commercial shrimpers can continue to harvest by trawler in the Pamlico Sound without a Clean Water Act permit.
Settlement reached in challenge over red wolf management
Wildlife conservation groups announced Wednesday a court settlement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that ensures continuation of successful management strategies and public engagement to restore the world’s only population of wild red wolves in northeastern North Carolina.
Sea turtle center unveils nest barrier tape that informs, too
The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Topsail Beach is now using a new type of biodegradable marker tape that can help educate the public about the creatures’ plight.
Abundant elsewhere, NC’s blue crab population dwindles
The state’s commercial harvests of blue crabs topped 67 million pounds in the mid ’90s, but there’s been a generally steady decline ever since, and while overfished, that’s not the only reason.
Oral histories hold key to recording environmental change
A rising junior at UNC Chapel Hill, Tara Hinton has spent her summer listening to oral histories and researching how Down East Carteret County residents are responding to changes in the environment.
Saltwater fish may be in future Cape Fear health advisories
Results of saltwater fish tissue currently being analyzed for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS, are expected later this year, wrapping up a study of multiple species of fish collected from the Cape Fear River.
Murphy assures Dare board: Corps will do study if funded
The Corps of Engineers is committed to conducting the required feasibility study of a sand project along the highly erosion-prone Rodanthe beach on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore if funded, Rep. Greg Murphy has told Dare County officials.
Topsail Beach board wants more study before rezoning
Town commissioners said Monday they want more information, including professional architectural, engineering, environmental and other assessments, before deciding on the conditional rezoning request for The Point.
Rules panel sets Aug. 15 deadline on plan for beach mats
The state rules process to allow coastal towns, counties and private beachfront property owners to use portable, roll-out mats as an alternative to traditional beach walkover structures continues.
Calls to act on Topsail plan yield frustration, hearing date
Topsail Beach commissioners Wednesday set a public hearing for September and agreed to hold a workshop to discuss possible conditions for approval of the rezoning request Raleigh software entrepreneur Todd Olson submitted last October and that the planning board voted down in May.
Ghost forest education focal point of public science project
A public science project at Cape Lookout National Seashore is part of a bigger communication effort to have a conversation about what ghost forests represent.
Education effort aims to address erosion, sedimentation
Activities, information and workshops are among the tools available for the public and professionals to learn about erosion and sediment control to protect water quality.
Climate peril, insurance, sand costs: No easy fix in Rodanthe
A possible inflection point in property insurance markets, a proposed $40 million beach nourishment project, talk of a needed act of Congress — officials struggle with at-risk oceanfront homes in Rodanthe.
Work begins on exhibit showing oyster-human connection
Officials say the exhibit, “Fish Filter Food: The Human Connection,” in the works at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island focuses on a simple but important message.
NC joins pact to cover offshore wind-related fisheries losses
The East Coast Fisheries Mitigation Project seeks to improve upon what had been a project-by-project, state-by-state approach to address fishing industries’ concerns over offshore wind development.
