The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has ended its longstanding Highly Migratory Species Catch Card program for bluefin tuna and billfish.
Spotlight
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.
Survey open on proposed Dismal Swamp heritage area
The National Park Service is asking the public to provide input for a study to determine the feasibility and suitability of designating a future national heritage area that includes the Great Dismal Swamp and other areas in North Carolina and Virginia.
EPA drinking water grant for Brunswick snarled by DOGE
The Trump administration tried to cancel as “wasteful” a $20 million federal award to help Brunswick County’s rural communities of Supply, Ash and Longwood replace lead water pipes and clean up nearby wetlands, while the cofounder of a recipient nonprofit insists, “Our grant is so much about community.”
Institute, visitors bureau to screen ‘Cigarette Surfboard’
The Coastal Studies Institute is partnering with the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau to host a screening of the award-winning film, “The Cigarette Surfboard,” which uses surfing as a vehicle for a message about protecting the marine environment.
Southport gives state more time on proposed land deal
The Southport Board of Aldermen voted 4-1 last week to extend an option agreement to the state Wildlife Resources Commission to purchase from the city more than 400 undeveloped acres, but one member objected to the $637,000 price.
EPA targets remaining federal isolated wetlands protections
New Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said the agency is pursuing a definition for the waters of the United States “that is simple, that is durable and it will withstand the test of time.”
Donald Ensley: A legacy of leadership, friendship, stewardship
Founder’s commentary: Dr. Donald E. Ensley, an accomplished public health educator, environmental champion, and steadfast advocate for North Carolina’s coastal communities, is in hospice care, preparing to leave behind a legacy that will forever shape the places and people he touched.
Utility industry has heavy hand in draft PFAS monitoring rule
As a committee of the Environmental Management Commission works to draft a PFAS monitoring framework rule, environmental advocates argue the draft language protects industry polluters.
Commission OKs proposed wetlands rule for public comment
The Environmental Management Commission voted during its meeting Thursday to take the next step in the rulemaking process to codify an amendment directed by a 2023 session law to align the state with the federal definition of wetlands.
State’s fix for costly litter problem ‘not efficient or sufficient’
“It’s like you’re Band-Aiding over an artery,” says Rob Clark, of Cape Fear River Watch, a coauthor of a report that found that cleaning up more than 7,000 tons of litter in North Carolina cost more than $56 million in 2023.
