While U.S. shrimpers lauded the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported shrimp, their message to the government is to stop subsidizing foreign shrimp production.
Spotlight
Ocean industries outperform major market indices in March
The University of North Carolina Wilmington Blue Economy Index delivered a positive return during March amid a troubled and volatile broader market.
Sandy Run Park: Town trail an overlooked Outer Banks gem
Tabb’s Trails: In our new photo-essay series, coastal reporter, photographer and hiking enthusiast Kip Tabb takes you along, starting with this easy half-mile loop around a pond and marsh in Kitty Hawk.
Plan aims to curb shellfish lease conflicts, moratorium fervor
Concerns over damping the state’s growing aquaculture industry amid a push for a halt to new leases by leaders of Topsail Island three towns have sparked a proposal to create a GIS tool to improve site selection.
Decades on, mid-Currituck bridge plan faces same hurdles
Fifty years after the need for a bridge between mainland Currituck County and its barrier island beaches was first identified, and 30 years after a draft planning document for the proposed mid-Currituck bridge was first released, a recent public meeting revealed that the same issues are still being vigorously debated, costs have skyrocketed, and funding is still lacking.
Satellite tracking study aims to unlock more red drum secrets
A project now in its second year seeks to temporarily tag and track by satellite 40 of the saltwater species so popular with recreational anglers could help fill data gaps that decades of research studies have so far left open.
Ocracoke Carvers Guild readies for 7th waterfowl festival
The celebration of Ocracoke’s waterfowl carving heritage is scheduled for April 11-12 in the Ocracoke School gym.
Buxton restoration advisory board to meet for first time
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will host the first restoration advisory board meeting 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club in Buxton.
Coastal reserve committees to hold spring meetings
Local advisory committees for the Rachel Carson Reserve and Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve are scheduled to meet later this month.
State ends bluefin tuna, billfish reporting requirements
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has ended its longstanding Highly Migratory Species Catch Card program for bluefin tuna and billfish.
Doomed to repeat history: What’s in future for NC wetlands?
Guest commentary: Ignoring the past guarantees a grim future for our coastal communities, as the fishermen of Rose Bay warned decades ago. Will we listen now, or once again pay the price for failing to protect our way of life?
ECU educator, coastal advocate Dr. Don Ensley died Friday
East Carolina University public health educator and longtime environmental advocate Dr. Donald E. Ensley of Greenville died Friday, March 28, 2025.
Blue crab management plan revision runs into rough waters
Proposed limits on the commercial harvest of blue crabs faces critics who say the management plan amendment is based on a benchmark stock assessment using data from 1995 to 2016.
Chemours, DuPont move to keep court records sealed
Attorneys for Chemours and its predecessor company DuPont have asked a federal judge in a lawsuit brought by Cape Fear area water utilities to keep thousands of documents out of the public eye.
Second public hearing set for mid-Currituck bridge project
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management is hosting a public hearing in Currituck County next month on the proposed mid-Currituck bridge project.
DEQ chief: Emerging compounds ‘top priority’ for state
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson said addressing PFAS and other emerging compounds is a top priority during the N.C. Water Resources Research Institute’s annual conference Thursday.
