Aerial surveyors spotted four critically endangered North Atlantic right whales off Ocracoke Island, and operators of vessels of all sizes are asked to travel no faster than 10 knots through the area.
NOAA
NOAA awards $529,000 to mariculture industry partnership
Recipients say the money will help build on more than a decade of collaboration among state agencies, industry leaders, the N.C. Coastal Federation, N.C. Sea Grant, and others to grow a thriving mariculture sector and coastal economy.
NOAA urges boaters to slow down in seasonal whale areas
Operators of vessels 65 or longer must maintain speeds of 10 knots or slower through federal seasonal management areas for North Atlantic right whales.
Forecasters predict 13 to 19 named storms for 2025 season
National Weather Service forecasters are predicting the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30, to have above-normal activity.
Decapitated dolphin found in Pender prompts criminal search
An investigation continues into the intentional decapitation of an 8-foot-long bottlenose dolphin found on Lea-Hutaff Island’s shore.
Fishermen, scientists differ on whale mortality, wind energy
Opinions up and down the North Carolina coast differ on the reasons behind rising numbers of Atlantic whale deaths, but marine researchers say the science is clear.
Weather spotters needed to help document rain, hail, snow
Home-based and amateur weather spotters in North Carolina are encouraged to join a countrywide network that documents the size, intensity, duration and patterns of rain, hail and snow.
Adaptation planning class set for April at NOAA Beaufort lab
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration staff have scheduled the daylong “Adaptation Planning for Coastal Communities” for April 2.
Agency nixes speed limits proposed to protect right whales
“Despite its best efforts, NMFS does not have sufficient time to finalize this regulation in this Administration due to the scope and volume of public comments,” NOAA said before Trump’s inauguration Monday.
NOAA model designed to help assess coastal flood risks
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released an online, visual, interactive tool based on decades of modeled and historical water level and wave information for roughly every quarter mile along the U.S. coastline.
Structural damage forces closure of Beaufort Lab building
A building that housed employees with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service Lab in Beaufort has closed after engineers determined the structure’s foundation is damaged.
Future of forecasting focus of next ‘Science on the Sound’
“The National Weather Service: Where We Are and Where We Are Going. A Look into the Current and Future State of Weather Forecasting” is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Coastal Studies Institute on the ECU Outer Banks Campus in Wanchese.
Researchers begin marine debris survey of US coastlines
The survey is to create a scientifically valid assessment of marine debris, with the findings going toward developing tools to communicate and compare regional debris estimates across the nation’s shorelines.
Transition to La Niña may offer East Coast flooding relief
After a period of record flooding along the North Carolina coast, a recurring cooling trend in the Pacific is set to bring some relief here, according to a new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration outlook.
NOAA recommends Jacksonville, Cape Fear project funding
The two eastern North Carolina projects are among the 32 recommended to receive federal money to restore habitat and build resilience.
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.
