Dr. David Burney and his wife Lida follow their love for mullet from Down East Carteret County to Sardinia, “the very heartland of one of Italian cuisine’s most famous products, bottarga di muggine, our own beloved mullet roe” in the second installment of a series special to Coastal Review.
Down East
‘The Cosmopolitan Mullet,’ Part 1: From here to the world
“To the folks of Down East Carteret County, and some locals throughout coastal NC, however, the ‘jumpin’ mullet,’ as they call it, owns a special place in their hearts and kitchens,” Dr. David Burney writes in the first installment of a special series about the “lowly baitfish.”
Icy conditions persist, more to come
Marshallberg Harbor is iced in during last weekend’s winter storm. Despite warmer temperatures in the days since, black ice and snow along with refreezing of standing water remain a threat to travel, National Weather Service forecasters in Newport said Thursday. Also, after this brief improvement, strong winds will again develop Friday night over coastal waters as an Arctic front moves through the region, producing strong gale conditions expected to persist into Sunday morning. Photo: Rachael Carlyle
Core Sound to salute Cape Lookout’s Coast Guard history
The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center is hosting Saturday at its Harkers Island facility an anniversary celebration for the Coast Guard at Cape Lookout.
Our Coast: On the shores of Harkers Island, 1944
Historian David Cecelski looks beyond the tranquil scene in this image featuring Capt. Stacy Davis, his fish house and nets on Harkers Island, and at the great upheaval here in the years between the 1933 hurricane and just after World War II.
Guest commentary: When the water doesn’t go away
Drainage systems that rely on gravity fail when the difference in elevation that drives water from land to sea has been shrinking as sea level rises.
Cape Lookout duck blind permit lottery to run Aug. 26-28
Lottery winners will be able to select their duck blind location within the Cape Lookout National Seashore during in-person appointments Sept. 12 at the Harkers Island visitor center.
Karen Amspacher fights for Down East, brushes off praise
When Gov. Josh Stein inducted the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum Director and nine others June 25 into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor in the state, Amspacher didn’t tell a soul.
Shrimp fry to honor local, western NC first responders
The Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center on Harkers Island is giving special recognition during its annual Fourth of July shrimp fry Saturday to the Crystal Coast Water Rescue Team that helped during Helene response in late 2024 and the Black Mountain Fire Department.
Core Sound shrimp fry set for July 5 on Harkers Island
This year’s annual shrimp fry and bake sale hosted by the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center on Harkers Island is set for July 5 and will honor military service members, veterans, and frontline personnel.
Harkers Island to shimmer during Crystal Coast Star Party
Cape Lookout National Seashore, Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center and the Crystal Coast Stargazers are hosting the two-day event that includes astronomy, children’s activities and a special presentation by a NASA leader.
‘Working Lives’: Canning sea turtles, Marshallberg, NC, 1938
When the cannery that opened in Marshallberg, a little village in Down East Carteret County, in 1937 ran out of oysters, tomatoes or other crops to can, they turned to canning sea turtles, writes historian David Cecelski.
Documentary film project to focus on Down East resilience
Two University of North Carolina Wilmington professors and their students are creating a documentary about the 13 Carteret County communities in partnership with the Down East Resilience Network.
African Americans in seafood industry heart of new exhibit
The exhibit debuting March 9 on Harkers Island features the ongoing NC Catch initiative that highlights African Americans in the state seafood industry.
Lace up for the April 5 Core Sound Run on Harkers Island
The annual 10K, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run usually bring together more than 400 participants of all ages and speeds.
Cape Lookout dredge spoils used to restore vanishing island
A haven for waterbirds since at least 1970, the quickly vanishing Sandbag Island near Harkers Island was recently expanded from a tenth of an acre to 5 acres using spoils from a dredge project around Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

















