Small survey teams will again this year collect information and aerial imagery off the North Carolina and South Carolina coasts on North Atlantic right whales during calving season.
endangered species
Whales that use echolocation mistake plastic for prey: study
A Duke University doctoral candidate in a new study found that deep-diving whales that rely on sound to forage for food are mistaking plastic for prey.
Rules eased as red-cockaded woodpeckers’ status improves
Wildlife officials say the recent downlisting from endangered to threatened is a success story, but opponents say the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s reclassification is premature.
Fort Fisher aquarium gets award for otter marketing campaign
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher was recognized for its “Whole Lotta Otta” marketing campaign by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Gators’ more frequent appearances make splash along coast
Whether they’re country alligators or city alligators, wildlife biologists say the reptiles just want to be left alone, but the loss of habitat means interactions are more and more likely.
Groups call for federal protection of diamondback terrapins
Nonprofits have petitioned the federal fisheries agency to list as endangered the diamondback terrapin, an estuarine creature frequently drowned in abandoned crab pots.
Litter of five endangered red wolves dies after sire killed
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the entire litter of endangered red wolf pups died after their father was killed by a vehicle on U.S. Highway 64, leaving fewer than 20 of their species remaining in the wild.
Blaze the plover returns from Illinois after rearing chicks
Blaze, a piping plover shown here on the beach in Waukegan, Illinois, has returned for the second consecutive year to winter at Masonboro Inlet in New Hanover County. The small, but determined piping plover was abandoned before she hatched and became among the first captive-reared chicks to be released from the University of Michigan Biological Station in 2023. Within about two months of her release into the wild, Blaze migrated south to spend the winter at Masonboro Inlet, according to Audubon North Carolina. Audubon officials spotted Blaze Aug. 15 at the inlet, returning from Waukegan, where she successfully raised three chicks. Photo courtesy of the Lake County (Illinois) Audubon Society.
Jennette’s Pier makes switch to curb light pollution
The Nags Head facility’s transition to more wildlife-friendly amber lighting is less disruptive to insects, bats, birds, and, most importantly along the oceanfront, sea turtles.
‘Waist-deep in whale innards’: Vessel strikes, speed at issue
The state is reviewing NOAA’s proposed changes to the North Atlantic right whale speed rule, which may affect the marine economy, as necropsies show half of whale mortalities since 2017 were from vessel strikes.
‘Home of the Venus Flytrap’ specialty plates soon available
The specialty license plate featuring the Venus flytrap supports the North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation and will be available in a few months.
State to review NOAA’s proposed ‘speed rule’ changes
The state is accepting comments for its review on proposed vessel speed limit changes that federal officials say would further reduce North Atlantic right whale mortalities.
Sea turtle deaths lead to federal review for nuclear plant
Because the deaths exceed the allowable limit for the federally listed species, the plant near Southport is to undergo an Endangered Species Act review.
Suds for Sharks to highlight conservation, research
All donations from the July 10 fundraiser in Atlantic Beach will go to the North Carolina Aquarium Conservation Action Committee’s shark conservation projects.
Biologists, advocates push for more wildlife crossing funds
Proponents of the federal Red Wolf Recovery Program say more protected highway wildlife crossings in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge would benefit all species.
Wildlife crossings gain visibility, financial support in state
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge officials are working with the Wildlife Resources Commission and the Department of Transportation to build wildlife crossings at each end of the Alligator River replacement bridge between Tyrrell and Dare counties, and more could be built.
