Of the nearly 600 cold-stunned sea turtles brought to the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island earlier this month, as of Friday, 399 have been warmed up and released.
marine life
Division sinks trawler at artificial reef site off Cape Lookout
The vessel joins three others at the site 28 nautical miles south of Beaufort Inlet that is popular with fishermen and divers.
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.
Bald Head Island Conservancy questions groin bill logic
The nonprofit’s executive director, whom the village council invited to make a presentation Friday, urged a smart decision regarding marine life and terminal groin law changes pending in Raleigh.
Harvest reporting rules draw expletive-laden comments
Temporary mandatory harvest reporting rules for recreational and commercial fishers will go up for a vote next month by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission.
Fisheries Division seeks to delay mandatory catch reporting
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is asking the legislature for another year before making effective a controversial new catch-reporting requirement now set to go in force Dec. 1.
Recent whale deaths unfortunate, not alarming: Scientists
Researchers say the stranded whales that washed ashore in quick succession earlier this year “may just be an unfortunate statistical anomaly” and were unrelated to offshore wind development.
Hearing set on new fishing catch reporting requirement
Coastal recreational and commercial fishermen will have to report certain fish harvests under a new North Carolina law that takes effect later this year.
Horseshoe crabs in decline: Groups seek federal protection
Organizations have petitioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to list American horseshoe crabs under the Endangered Species Act.
DNA project links individual female loggerheads, nests
University of Georgia research scientist Brian Shamblin leads a study that uses genetic tagging of female loggerheads from southern Georgia to the North Carolina-Virginia state line.
Cold-stunned turtles taken to NC Aquariums for treatment
Sea turtles rescued from frigid waters during the recent cold snap are being rehabilitated at North Carolina Aquariums at Roanoke Island and Pine Knoll Shores.
Currituck officials encouraged on dredging after Corps talk
A decades-long battle to restore navigable access on the Currituck Sound off Corolla appears to have taken a more upbeat tone at a recent meeting between representatives from Currituck County and Army Corps of Engineers staff.
Student study shines light on Outer Banks sea turtle nesting
Outer Banks Field Site undergrads who conducted a four-month study of how artificial light at night affects sea turtle nesting have presented their findings, which indicate conservation efforts may be working.
Beaked whale calf’s death attributed to plastic pollution
A whale calf that washed ashore last week on Emerald Isle’s ocean shoreline died from ingesting a balloon.
Whale of a tail
A humpback whale navigates the tide May 4 in Beaufort Inlet, as photographed from Fort Macon State Park. Humpback whales’ flukes can be up to 18 feet wide, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says their markings are unique enough to identify individuals. Photo: Doug Waters
Massachusetts turtles released on NC beach: A photo essay
Ten loggerheads that were cold-stunned off Cape Cod and treated at a Missouri aquarium were flown to North Carolina last week and released at Fort Macon State Park.
