The 2026-27 recreational fishing season for black sea bass in federal waters south of Cape Hatteras opens next month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries announced Thursday.

The season will open at 12:01 a.m. on April 1 and tentatively remain open through March 31, 2027.

The season is being opened for the entire 2026-27 recreational fishing year because recreational landings are estimated to be below the seasonal catch limit, according to a NOAA Fisheries announcement.

“NOAA Fisheries projects that recreational landings will not exceed the 2026-2027 recreational catch limit of 366,510 pounds whole weight based on recent landings data,” according to the announcement.

The closing date for recreational black sea bass fishing remains tentative pending the implementation of Regulatory Amendment 37 to the fishery management plan for the South Atlantic Region’s snapper-grouper fishery.

The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has approved that amendment for review and implementation by NOAA Fisheries.

“If implemented, the regulatory amendment would establish an annual catch target for the recreational sector of 63,143 pounds whole weight,” according to the announcement. “NOAA Fisheries would project the length of recreational fishing seasons based on this annual catch target. It is currently unknown whether the timing for Regulatory Amendment 37 could affect the 2026-2027 fishing year for black sea bass.”

If the regulatory amendment is adopted, the National Marine Fisheries Service will inform the public about its impacts to the length of the recreational season for black sea bass.

A female North Atlantic right whale was found dead ashore a remote barrier island off Virginia’s Eastern Shore earlier this week.

Biologists with The Nature Conservancy found the 3-year-old critically endangered whale stranded on the beach Feb. 10. She has been identified as the calf of “Porica.” Porica is known to have had two other calves to die.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, Fisheries is working with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network to try and determine the cause of death.

She is the second North Atlantic right whale to have been found dead since the New Year.

Less than two weeks ago, the carcass of a 4-year-old male named “Division” was found floating about 25 miles off the coast of Avon.

He died as a result of injuries he received from being entangled in fishing gear, according to NOAA.

Vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglement are the two leading causes of death to North Atlantic right whales, of which there are fewer than 400 on the planet. There are only around 70 breeding females.

“This is an endless tug of war between hope and despair for North Atlantic right whales, and today, despair is winning,” Nora Ives, a marine scientist with Oceana, stated in a release. “Another whale is gone, a young female that could have helped contribute to the future of a population already on the brink of extinction. We can and we must do better. Stronger protections and proven solutions are needed, but both depend on adequate funding and staffing at NOAA. They also require full implementation of bedrock laws like the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act that help secure a future for these creatures. It’s time for U.S. leaders to fight for the future North Atlantic right whales deserve.”

This is the 43rd recorded North Atlantic right whale death since 2017, the year an unusual mortality event was declared after elevated deaths in the species were documented in Canada and the United States.

A critically endangered North Atlantic right whale that a team of responders attempted to disentangle from fishing gear nearly two months ago was found dead earlier this week off the North Carolina coast.

The 4-year-old male, identified as “Division,” died from injuries caused by being entangled.

An aerial survey team on Tuesday spotted what was left of Division’s carcass floating about 25 miles offshore of Avon, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

On Dec. 4, 2025, responders from NOAA Fisheries, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission took to the sea to join forces with a Georgia-based aerial survey team from Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute in an effort to document Division’s entanglement and monitor his behavior.

At that time, Division was off Georgia’s coast near St. Simons Island.

An aerial survey team from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission later relieved the first aircraft. Aerial and on-water teams consulted partners at the Center for Coastal Studies to plan the response operations.

The on-water response teams were able to successfully cut a line passing over the left side of Division’s head and blowholes, according to NOAA. The line was cutting into and trailing from the whale’s left flipper.

Responders were also able to shorten a line exiting the right side of the whale’s mouth and reattach a telemetry buoy to the remaining entangling gear.

Unsafe weather in the days after response teams made initial contact with Division thwarted them from being able to attempt to remove the remaining gear.

They were able to track Division’s trek north into waters off of New England, then back south. During that time, aerial teams observed the whale in declining health, his injuries worsening from his entanglement.

Weather conditions and the whale’s distance from shore prevented teams from conducting further disentanglement efforts.

“Recently, the satellite track began showing a movement pattern more consistent with drifting than active travel,” NOAA wrote in an update Friday. “Although this is not the result we wanted, our dedicated partners made every possible effort to save this whale.”

There are only around an estimated 380 North Atlantic right whales, including 70 breeding females, in existence.

The leading causes of death to these whales are vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear.

According to Oceana, roughly 1 million fishing lines sprawl across the whales’ migration routes and feeding areas off the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the United States.

“Fishing gear from these two countries entangles an estimated 100 right whales each year, with about 86% of all right whales having been entangled at least once,” the organization said.

In a statement Friday, Nora Ives, a marine scientist for Oceana in the United States, blamed the government for Division’s death.

“Humans have caused preventable pain and suffering for these critically endangered animals for long enough,” Ives said in a release. “What will it take for our elected officials to finally implement solutions like on-demand fishing gear and slowing vessels down to prevent further tragedies like this one? Continuing to ignore this issue will guarantee more right whale deaths. We need urgent action now. Oceana challenges policymakers to right this wrong, stand up for marine life and for the health of our oceans by adequately funding and staffing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), advancing stronger protections for right whales, and supporting bedrock laws like the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act before another whale washes up on our coastlines.”

The North Carolina Coastal Federation has received funding to remove a dozen abandoned and derelict vessels from waters in Carteret, Chowan, Hyde, New Hanover and Onslow counties.

BoatUS Foundation announced last week that the Coastal Federation, along with nine other organizations spanning five states, one reservation and two territories, has been selected for the funding.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program funds this program administered by BoatUS Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes safe, clean and responsible boating. The Coastal Federation is a nonprofit member organization that works to protect and restore the state’s coast.

“This award provides critical support for removing vessels from working harbors,” Coastal Federation Marine Debris Program Director Ted Wilgis said in a release. “These communities, already facing tight budgets and rising expenses, do not have enough resources or funding to remove and dispose of these vessels. This award will enable the North Carolina Coastal Federation to continue its partnership with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and local governments to remove and dispose of ADVs affecting the livelihood and environment of our coastal communities.”

The award for $550,000 is to go to the removal and disposal of vessels ranging in size from 24-foot recreational boats to commercial fishing trawlers up to 75 feet long out of waters in Edenton, Engelhard, Swan Quarter, Morehead City, Beaufort, Marshallberg, Sneads Ferry, Holly Ridge and Carolina Beach, according to the nonprofit.

“We have had nine 100-year storms in the last 20 years,” said Dr. Reide Corbett during a conference in Wilmington back in November. “Somebody said that math doesn’t math.”

Corbett is dean of the East Carolina University Coastal Studies Institute Campus in Wanchese and he was addressing the fourth annual Water Adaptations to Ensure Regional Success, or WATERS, Summit held Nov. 13. He said the statistical model used to predict precipitation frequency is no longer reliable.

The model, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Atlas 14 data server,  is widely used in infrastructure planning and flood risk assessments. Atlas 14 provides statistical modeling that is based on rainfall amounts and storm intensity for the 30 years leading up to the 21st century.

The server “contains precipitation frequency estimates for the United States and U.S. affiliated territories,” according to NOAA.

Corbett told those attending the summit that Atlas 14 “doesn’t hold any longer.”

In a follow-up interview with Coastal Review, Corbett said the problem with Atlas 14 is that it does not factor in how the climate has changed during this century.

“It does not take into account changes in the moisture that the atmosphere has, and it certainly doesn’t project forward,” Corbett said.

That’s why NOAA is developing an Atlas 15 model, which is to be rolled out in stages this year and 2027. When completed, “Atlas 15 will supersede NOAA Atlas 14 as the national standard and will become the authoritative source for precipitation frequency information across the United States.,” according to the NOAA website.

Dr. Jared Bowden, interim director of the North Carolina State Climate Office, agreed that, as a predictive model, Atlas 14 is flawed.

“It doesn’t use the most recent observations. (Atlas 14) hasn’t used any of the data in the past 20 or 25, years, really,” Bowden said.

Atlas 15 is expected to correct that shortcoming nationally, but in the meantime, the State Climate Office has developed a dataset that illustrates how precipitation patterns represented in Atlas 14 may evolve over time. 

RaInDROP, an acronym for the statistical information for the state model, Rainfall, Intensity, Duration and Return for Observations and Projections, is “a product that is tailored to North Carolina,” Bowden said. “Some things in the methodology that we do behind RaInDROP are very North Carolina specific.”

The datasets the State Climate Office developed use the Atlas 14 model as a baseline, but also predict what the future climate will look like. The modeling also takes into account North Carolina’s geography, Bowden said.

“There’s eight climate divisions across our state, and we use these climate divisions to help think about how we scale Atlas 14 values,” Bowden said. “We took climate change projections and tried to figure out how you would scale up based on the different climate divisions.”

The online RaInDROP tool maps show marked variations from Atlas 14 data. For instance, the southeast corner of the state, New Bern, Jacksonville and Wilmington, in particular, will experience significantly more rainfall and more intense events than previously modeled. Bordering the Atlantic Ocean, that output is consistent with climate change data that shows a warming atmosphere.

Climate change is not a linear increase with temperature and moisture, Bowden explained. Rather it’s an exponential increase and an exponential increase in moisture capacity.

“If you’re able to saturate the atmosphere and have a forcing mechanism to wring it out of the atmosphere, such as a hurricane, then you get these really big downpours. You get these really big flooding scenarios that will create just larger and larger problems for our infrastructure.”

The climate office tool is designed to have practical applications in designing infrastructure.

“If you’re looking out at midcentury, let’s say 2050- or 2060-time frame, and you were to design a culvert that’s supposed to last that period of time, how would your design criteria change based on using plausible future scenarios?” Bowden continued.

Public and private infrastructure rely upon reasonably accurate climate models to determine design criteria. Retention ponds, as an example, typically use a 4% annual chance of a 25-year storm as design criteria. Based on that assumption, a retention pond should perform as expected provided the storm events occur as predicted by Atlas 14.

However, climate events predicted by RaInDROP suggest that what is now thought of as a 25-year storm will be more frequent and more intense, and if that happens “it’s not going to perform as you expect, and it’s going to be overwhelmed more frequently, and it’s going to be become a problem,” Bowden said.

Environmental engineer George Wood, owner of Environmental Professionals of Kill Devil Hills for nearly 40 years, told Coastal Review that private infrastructure systems in particular would be overwhelmed by more frequent and increased storm intensity and rainfall. And, compounding the problem is less recovery time for the system between storms.

Wood was particularly critical of how private stormwater systems are maintained – or not — noting that private retention ponds are often overgrown with subaquatic vegetation and culverts are often clogged and incapable of even handling the rainfall amounts for which they were designed.

Chris Doley’s legacy at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is closely tied to his long and deeply influential partnerships with community-based organizations working on the frontlines of coastal restoration. Among those, his relationship with the North Carolina Coastal Federation stands out for its longevity and impact and for the role it played in advancing community-driven habitat restoration in North Carolina and beyond.

Chris became involved with the Coastal Federation’s work in the mid-1990s, during the formative years of NOAA’s Community-Based Habitat Restoration efforts. At that time, the Coastal Federation was in its second decade of work and was beginning to expand into fisheries habitat restoration as an emerging program area. The organization was advancing an idea that was still gaining traction nationally: that locally driven, science-based restoration — done with communities, not just for them — could deliver durable ecological results.

Chris was never just a grant manager. He became a trusted partner, sounding board, and advocate within NOAA — someone who understood both the realities of federal programs and the practical challenges of getting projects done on the ground. His willingness to listen, ask hard questions, and support promising ideas proved instrumental during a period when both NOAA’s restoration programs and the Federation’s habitat work were still taking shape.

With support provided through what would become NOAA’s Restoration Center, the Coastal Federation began to build one of the country’s more visible and respected nonprofit coastal restoration programs — rooted in applied science, community engagement, and practical outcomes.

Building a Restoration Agenda from the Ground Up

Working closely with Chris and NOAA’s habitat restoration staff, the Federation developed an increasingly integrated restoration approach — linking living shorelines, oyster reef restoration, salt marsh recovery, and water quality improvement into a more cohesive strategy. This systems-based framing was not yet common practice in the 1990s and early 2000s, when many restoration projects were relatively small, site-specific, and narrowly focused.

Chris encouraged partners to think beyond individual projects — at scale and to achieve significant ecological outcomes beyond individual project boundaries. Early NOAA support enabled the Federation to pilot some of North Carolina’s first living shoreline projects in the early 2000s, well before the practice was widely accepted or routinely permitted. These projects demonstrated that oyster reefs and marsh vegetation could stabilize shorelines, protect property, and improve habitat—often performing as well as or better than hardened shoreline structures, particularly during storm events.

The success of those projects didn’t just validate a new technique; it reshaped the Federation’s restoration agenda. Living shorelines became a core program area, and the lessons learned in North Carolina helped inform NOAA (and other federal agency) guidance, state permitting reforms, and restoration programs nationwide.

Oyster Reefs, Scale, and Staying Power

A similar trajectory emerged with oyster restoration. With Chris’s backing, the Coastal Federation undertook increasingly ambitious reef restoration efforts, including a major NOAA-supported initiative in 2009-2010, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That effort restored nearly 50 acres of oyster reefs and helped establish permanent oyster sanctuaries in Pamlico Sound, at the time among the larger oyster restoration efforts in the region.

More than a decade later, that long arc culminated in another milestone: the 2022 NOAA-supported investment to complete North Carolina’s 500-acre oyster sanctuary network. This project reflects decades of shared learning, trust, and persistence between NOAA and its partners.

Restore America’s Estuaries and Broader Influence

The Coastal Federation is a founding member of Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE), established in 1994 to connect community-based restoration organizations and share effective practices nationally. Chris supported NOAA’s engagement with RAE, recognizing that strong regional organizations could anchor a growing national restoration movement.

Through RAE and other collaborative forums, restoration approaches refined in North Carolina, such as community-driven project delivery, living shorelines, oyster sanctuaries, and volunteer engagement, were shared, adapted, and applied in other regions, helping advance restoration practice across the country.

Enduring Impact

From my perspective, what set Chris apart was his quiet confidence and deep respect for the people doing the work on the ground. I recall sitting with him in quiet corners of crowded conferences and workshops, where he would ask thoughtful, practical questions or offer observations about how our partnership was evolving. He simply wanted to understand, to learn, and to find ways to be an even better partner.

Chris Doley rarely sought the spotlight, but his influence is clear in the durability and credibility of NOAA’s community-based restoration programs and the projects they have supported. He created space for partners like the Coastal Federation to experiment, learn, and improve — while never losing sight of ecological outcomes and the public good.

As Chris retires after more than 35 years at NOAA, the North Carolina Coastal Federation — and countless partners across the country — continue to build on the foundation he helped establish. The restoration agenda he supported in North Carolina now informs broader policy discussions, restoration practice, and investment strategies nationwide.

Thank you, Chris, for believing early, backing consistently, and helping turn local action into lasting impact.

Four critically endangered North Atlantic right whales were spotted last month off the coast of Ocracoke.

The aerial sighting triggered what is known as a dynamic management area in the vicinity where the whales were spotted Nov. 18 during an aerial survey. Dynamic management areas are voluntary and used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, to notify vessel operators to slow down to avoid right whales.

“Maintaining speeds of 10 knots or less can help protect right whales from vessel collisions,” according to NOAA’s website.

Vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing gear remain the leading causes of death and serious injury to North Atlantic right whales, of which there are fewer than 400.

The 2024 population is estimated at 384 individual whales, a slight, 2.1% increase over the 2023 estimate, according to numbers released in October by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium.

And while the latest estimate shows a continued slow, upward trend in growth over the last four years, marine scientists caution that strong protective measures are crucial to the recovery of the species.

“The North Atlantic right whale is in such peril that even a single human-caused death threatens the recovery of the species and its chances at avoiding extension,” Michelle Bivins, Oceana Carolinas Field Campaigns representative, said in an interview on Thursday.

Right whales migrate seasonally, spending their spring and summers in waters off New England and farther north into Canadian waters, to feed and mate.

In the fall, the whales travel south, sometimes more than 1,000 miles, to their calving grounds off shore from the Carolinas to northeastern Florida.

In 2008, NOAA created a speed rule limiting vessels 65 feet or longer to travel no more than 10 knots in seasonal, mandatory and voluntary slow zones.

“I think it’s important though to emphasize that history does show boats smaller than 65 feet can also harm and kill North Atlantic right whales,” Bivins said. “In February 2021, a calf died from propeller wounds, broken ribs, and a fractured skill from a collision with a 54-foot recreational fishing vessel that was not subject to the speed requirement.”

That calf was found off the Florida coast.

In March 2024, a dead calf washed ashore on Georgia’s coast with fatal injuries caused by a boat estimated to be between 35 feet and 57 feet in length, Bivins said.

Earlier this year, NOAA announced its withdrawal of a proposed speed limits for vessels under 65 feet in length through designated North Atlantic right whale seasonal management areas in the northeast, mid-Atlantic, and southeast. The agency “encourages” smaller vessels to 10 knots or less.

In the meantime, scientists are calling for additional measures to aid in the right whale population’s recovery, including the use of ropeless or on-demand fishing gear for crab fishing to reduce whale entanglements.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation, in partnership with the North Carolina Sea Grant, have received a $529,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to “strengthen and expand” the state’s growing shellfish mariculture industry.

The Coastal Federation said Thursday in a release that the money will help build on more than a decade of collaboration among the organization, state agencies, industry leaders, N.C. Sea Grant, and other partners across the “coast to grow a thriving mariculture sector that supports local oyster growers, clean water, and coastal economies.”

The previous work includes the Coastal Federation’s community-supported efforts to restore oysters and the work being done through the North Carolina Oyster Blueprint, which recommended developing a network of shellfish aquaculture hubs. The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

“This support from NOAA is a major step forward for North Carolina’s mariculture industry,” Coastal Federation Executive Director Braxton Davis said in a statement. “It will provide growers with additional stability, infrastructure, and tools they need to build strong businesses while protecting the clean water and healthy habitats our coastal economy depends on.”

The funding is to be used for a handful of purposes, including the management and operations of the Shellfish Mariculture Hub in Carteret County. The first-of-its-kind hub is designed to provide growers with reliable support for water access, storage, logistics, and distribution, filling what the nonprofit calls a critical gap in the industry.

“Ensuring strong and effective management will be essential for the Hub’s long-term success,” recipients said.

The grant also will go to initiating a stakeholder group made up of growers, researchers, state agencies, and industry partners to establish North Carolina’s first commercial shellfish hatchery. The group will evaluate options and determine the best path forward to secure the reliable seed supply needed to sustain and expand shellfish farming across the state, officials said.

In addition, funds will go to expand outreach for the NC Oyster Trail, which highlights the cultural, economic, and environmental importance of shellfish while strengthening tourism and community ties. There are more than 90 sites on the trail, including shellfish farm tours, seafood restaurants and markets, and educational organizations like aquariums and museums.

“The NC Oyster Trail is a critical marketing tool to ensure high demand for our state’s shellfish as well as continued support for coastal protection and restoration. It’s a gateway to understand the full impact of the oyster on our coast,” said North Carolina coastal economics specialist Jane Harrison.

The grant also will go to support growers near Stump Sound, a community in North Topsail Beach where shellfish farming takes place alongside a variety of other coastal uses.

“By fostering dialogue and cooperation, the effort will help ensure that Stump Sound continues to be a place where diverse coastal traditions and industries can thrive together,” the organization said.

Beginning Saturday, vessels 65 feet or longer traveling along areas of the mid-Atlantic must maintain speeds of 10 knots or slower.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries implements the speed limit through seasonal management areas for North Atlantic right whales each year to reduce the threat of vessel collisions.

Ship collisions are a leading cause of death to these critically endangered whales, of which there are believed to be fewer than 400 on the planet.

Mid-Atlantic seasonal management areas are in effect through April 30, 2026.

NOAA Fisheries also encourages vessels less than 65 feet in length to also slow to speeds of 10 knots or slower within active management areas.

Seasonal management areas off the North Carolina coast span off the shores from the Port of Morehead City, Beaufort, and a continuous area 20 nautical miles from shore between Wilmington down to Brunswick, Georgia.

For real-time updates on Slow Zones, seasonal management areas, and other right whale sightings download the Whale Alert app. For recent right whale sightings and real-time acoustic detections along the eastern seaboard may be accessed here.

With national forecasters expecting above-normal activity for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, officials are reminding the public to prepare now before a storm hits.

Meteorologists are predicting a 60% chance of an above-normal season, 30% chance of a near-normal season, and only a 10% chance to be below normal, National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said during a news conference held Thursday morning at Jefferson Parish Emergency Operations Center in Gretna, Louisiana.

Graham was joined by Acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Laura Grimm and Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee-Sheng to announce the season that begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

“We’re really looking at an above-normal season once again,” Graham said, explaining that the forecast is between 13 to 19 named storms. Storms are named when they reach 39 mph. In 2024, there were 18 named storms.

Of those 13 to 19 storms expected this year, six to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes, which is when winds reach 74 mph, and forecasters expect three to five major hurricanes, or Category 3 and above, with maximum sustained winds of 111 miles an hour or greater, Graham said.

“The average: 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, three major (hurricanes), so above the average,” Graham said.

Hurricane categories are ranked from 1 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Category 5 is the strongest with winds greater than 157 mph.

Hurricanes are not just about the category, Graham said, adding that only 1 mile an hour separates the different categories. “You’ve got to focus on the impacts,” particularly the dangers of water such as storm surge and flooding.

Graham explained that the strongest hurricanes are the ones that develop the fastest.

“Every Category 5 storm that’s ever hit this country was a tropical storm or less three days prior,” Graham said. “The big ones that hit this country are fast,” and you have to plan early.

“Everything’s in place for an above average season,” Graham explained, including warmer surface temperatures.

With some of the factors associated with hurricane season, “we’re not really seeing any changes in the numbers or even the strengths when it comes to the warming of the planet,” but “we’re seeing heavier rainfall rates,” he said.

“That’s the biggest evidence that we see associated with the tropical season,” Graham continued about the heavy rainfall. “We’ve got to be really prepared for that,” especially as more people move to the coast.

In response to questions from reporters Thursday morning about staff changes at NOAA, Grimm explained that “weather prediction modeling and protecting human lives and property is our top priority.”

She added that “we are fully staffed at the hurricane center” and “we are really making this a top priority for this administration, for NOAA, for the Department of Commerce. We are very supportive of our national weather staff.”

Though Graham reiterated Grimm’s statement about staffing, he later said the administration “had some folks go, but we’re going to make sure that we have everything that we have on the front lines. Every warning is going to go out.”

Graham said that budget cuts at NOAA are not going to affect hurricane forecasting this year and that the center is working on some long-term solutions for staffing.

In North Carolina

Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson told Coastal Review in an email Thursday that he echoed “Ken Graham’s statement in the NOAA release where he says ‘This outlook is a call to action: be prepared. Take proactive steps now to make a plan and gather supplies to ensure you’re ready before a storm threatens’.”

Graham’s “words are true even when the predictions are for a less active season. No matter how many storms are being predicted, everyone needs to be prepared for that one storm that will put them in harm’s way,” Pearson continued.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t encourage everyone to never focus on just the category of a tropical storm,” he said. “Any storm system is dangerous and can bring life threatening impacts from storm surge, rainfall flooding, wind, tornadoes and rip currents. Just the other afternoon we had a tornado in Wanchese during a severe thunderstorm.”

North Carolina Emergency Management’s Chief of External Affairs and Communications Justin Graney also pointed out that it only takes one storm.

“We really want North Carolinians to know that it doesn’t matter if they’re calling for one storm this season or 45 storms, it only takes one to impact our state and only one storm to impact your community and your home. We want everybody to be prepared for hurricanes,” he said in an interview.

Graney said in coastal North Carolina, “storm surge is the number one killer” in tropical storms and hurricanes, “because the water levels will rise very rapidly.” Wind damage is also a concern, depending on the strength of the hurricane.

“It’s important to note, too, that the category of storm is misleading. People find a false sense of security” in the storm category, which is only based on the wind speed. “The storm may have substantial impacts beyond that,” he said.

Graney pointed to Hurricane Florence in 2018, a Category 1 storm when it impacted North and South Carolina. “But because of the rainfall amounts, we saw significant flooding, same with Hurricane Matthew. There shouldn’t be a sense of security with people when they say, ‘that’s just a Category 1 hurricane, we’ll be fine.’ They need to take them seriously, no matter what it is.”

Another concern for eastern North Carolina is inland flooding.

Residents need to be aware of what is happening to the streams and rivers in their area, adding that the region could see the same areas flood twice. The initial flooding from storm surge, rainfall and runoff, and, depending on the track of the storm, “you may see additional flooding several days after the storm, so it’s important to make sure you’re aware of those hazards,” he said.

Graney urged residents to make sure the information they rely on is coming from local media, the newspaper, National Weather Service and other trusted sources to make the best decisions to protect themselves and their loved ones.

“The next thing you want to do after being informed is, we want to make sure that you have a plan and that you’re prepared,” Graney said. “We want everyone that lives in coastal North Carolina to be familiar with the Know Your Zone Initiative, which is a storm surge-based evacuation map that is used by local emergency management to facilitate evacuation.”

He said to visit the website, type in the address and it will show your zone for if you need to evacuate.

Grady said that putting together a disaster kit at home is also extremely important. “We need to make sure North Carolinians are prepared to self-sustain for three to seven days per person in their home.”

There’s some resources at readync.gov “to help you and your family prepare at home, because it’s important, and it doesn’t have to be a huge financial undertaking. It can be done gradually. Right now, we have time. We can do this in parts, to build a disaster kit at home. So that’s not a huge financial hit to you and your family,” he added.

Warning Coordination Meteorologist Erik Heden at the National Weather Service office in Morehead City said in a telephone interview that coastal North Carolina is “one of the higher risk areas in the country. We never want to scare people, but we do live right by the ocean, and it’s beautiful most of the time of the year, but it’s just something we need to be prepared for when you live in an area like this.”

Heden also stressed that residents shouldn’t focus on the category but on the impacts, which include wind, storm surge, inland flooding, rip currents and tornadoes.

He said Thursday now is a good time to make that hurricane plan and stock up because there’s plenty of supplies available. “If you’re researching (your plan) on a beautiful May day like today, you’re going to make really good decisions where, if you’re trying to scramble at the last minute, you’re not going to make as good of a decision while being under stress.”

National Weather Service Meteorologist-in-Charge for the Wilmington office Steven Pfaff said that while there have been numerous hurricanes over the decades that have caused serious flooding, the coast is overdue for a high-impact, wind storm.

“When you look at statistics, every 23 years, Cape Fear should see a Category 3 or 4,” he said in a phone interview, “And here we are coming up on 29 years since Fran,” referencing Hurricane Fran that hit in 1996.

“You’ve got a segment of the population that has been through a lot of hurricanes, but not the wind aspect of it,” Pfaff said, referring to storms with winds over 100 mph. “We have a lot of people who’ve lived in the area since Fran that haven’t been through something like Fran, so it’s going to be new to them as well.”

Coastal Review will not publish on Monday, May 26.

The death and decapitation of a bottlenose dolphin found on the shores of Lea-Hutaff Island in Pender County remains under investigation.

The decapitation has been determined to be intentional, which is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement is offering a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to a criminal conviction or civil penalty of the person or people responsible, according to a NOAA release.

The dolphin was found by a member of the public April 15 near marker 105 of the undeveloped barrier island and reported to the Southeast Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline.

NOAA’s stranding partner network, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, responded to the call and found the 8-foot dolphin, according to the release.

“They determined that someone intentionally removed its head between April 16 and April 18, after they received the initial stranding report,” the release states.

An initial health assessment of the dolphin indicates the animal was carrying a bacteria called Brucella, which can be transferred to humans through direct contact. Results of a necropsy, or an animal autopsy, are pending.

Anyone with information leading to the successful identification and/or arrest, conviction or civil penalty assessment of those involved may call NOAA’s enforcement hotline at 800-853-1964. Tips may be left anonymously, but to be eligible for the reward a name and contact information must be provided with the hotline.

Violators may be punished for up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year in jail.

At first glance, the stretch of coast near the Bennett Street beach access point in Kitty Hawk blends seamlessly with the rest of the coastline. 

It’s impossible to tell that, just a few months ago, this sand cradled the lifeless, 19,000-pound carcass of a humpback whale. 

Now, the soft tissue of the humpback lies below the sand. Its skeleton is housed in the neighboring town of Corolla, where students are analyzing remains for a school project, said Marina Piscitelli-Doshkov, stranding coordinator for the Marine Mammal Stranding Network. 

Under the beach, the humpback will join a number of other whales buried along the shore. Since 2016, humpback whale mortalities have increased, along with a rise in the deaths of minke and North Atlantic right whales along the Atlantic coast. 

North Carolina coastal communities are actively debating the cause of the increase in whale mortalities, with concerns surrounding political agendas at the heart of the discussion.

Marine scientists have identified human interaction with ships as the leading cause of these whale mortalities, causing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to attempt tightening vessel speed restrictions.

Fishermen have largely opposed stricter regulations, blaming numerous economic struggles on what they see as a mountain of NOAA rules. 

Others call out the construction of offshore wind turbine facilities as disrupting whales’ migratory paths and hearing, pushing them into waters where fishing and shipping vessels often transit. 

“Everybody’s got an opinion,” said Dewey Hemilright, a commercial fisherman based in Wanchese and a former member of the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council. 

‘A Huge Shift’

Piscitelli-Doshkov has spent her career working on necropsies of beached mammals for the stranding network.

“I’ve been doing this for 20-plus years,” Piscitelli-Doshkov said. “There’s been a huge shift in the past few years with people — just in general.” 

Five years ago, when the network was called to investigate a whale in the process of shoring and start the process of determining a cause of death — performing a necropsy — no one would show up, she said.

Now, people flock to the scene.

In addition to the political climate surrounding wind energy, Piscitelli-Doshkov attributes the attention that recent whale beachings receive to social media and the spectacles “going kind of viral.”

The network responded to Kitty Hawk Police officers’ report of the juvenile female humpback on the morning of Dec. 27. After the network finished the necropsy, the Kitty Hawk Public Works Department handled the burial. 

“All we could tell on the necropsy was that it was a blunt-force trauma, and that is usually done by a ship strike,” said Piscitelli-Doshkov. 

Whether the whale was alive or dead when it was hit was to be determined after histopathology and diagnostic analyses were run. NOAA must pay for all samples to be researched, so the stranding network was left “just waiting” for the agency to officially approve more tests, she said.

But the network can’t always determine a whale’s cause of death through necropsy. 

Because whales generate so much heat within their internal insulation system, once they die, “they start pretty much cooking from the inside,” said Craig Harms, director of the marine health program at North Carolina State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology. 

Harms, who often works with the network, added that “once you do a post mortem exam, you might be going through a lot of mush.”

‘Barely holding on’

In April 2017, NOAA declared an Unusual Mortality Event, or UME, for humpback whales. The agency defines a UME as a “marked increase in the magnitude or a marked change in the nature of morbidity, mortality, or strandings when compared with prior records”. 

“Most of those increased mortalities are being caused by ship strikes,” Harms said. 

According to NOAA, necropsies conducted on approximately half of beached humpbacks since 2016 showed that around 40% of their deaths involved a ship strike or entanglement. 

NOAA has determined two other whale species — the minke and North Atlantic right — as also experiencing UMEs.

Currently, under NOAA’s North Atlantic Right Whale Reduction Rule — regulations intended to specifically protect right whales — vessels over 65 feet cannot go more than 10 knots in certain areas of the ocean called seasonal management areas.

“There’s only about 360 of these whales left,” Harms said. “And we could very well drive them to extinction within 10 to 20 years if we don’t do something more than what we’re doing.”

In 2022, NOAA proposed to apply the 10-knot speed rule to vessels longer than 35 feet. This suggestion was officially withdrawn Jan. 16 due to “ongoing requests from the public for further opportunity to review and engage with the Agency on the proposal.”

Hemilright said the majority of commercial fishing vessels operate under 10 knots, so recreational fishermen, such as charter boat operators, would suffer most under these speed limitations. 

The speed restrictions make running charters extremely difficult for recreational fishermen, whom Hemilright said have been “devastated” by the regulations. 

“And these are individual, small businesses,” he added. “These ain’t corporations.”

Cane Faircloth, a former recreational fisherman and board member for the North Carolina For-Hire Captains Association, who currently manages a few charter boats, said the reduction rule would mainly affect larger recreational boats.

But many recreational fishermen, he added, are worried that restrictions will continue to apply to smaller and smaller boats. 

“If you start getting into that under 30-foot range, then that hits the majority of boats that are going out in the ocean fishing,” Faircloth said.

It’s not fair, he continued, for speed restrictions to be placed on boats that have never hit or come close to hitting a right whale. Slowing from an average speed of around 25 knots to 10 could double the travel time to fishing waters and hurt business, he said.

Faircloth, a 49-year-old fifth-generation fisherman, said that he has never heard of a recreational fishing boat hitting a whale. 

“I think when those whales are hit, it’s more of your big freighters, big ships,” he said. “Because those big ships, they move as fast as us little boats do, and they take up such a big area — it’s a lot harder for a whale to get away from them than it would be to get away from one of us.”

Between 2022 and 2023, NOAA filed 53 complaints against vessel operators, totaling nearly $1 million in civil penalties. The agency uses satellite technology, portable radar units and active patrols to detect speeding and enforce restrictions. 

While paying a violation can be detrimental to local fisheries, large shipping vessels incur the fees as “just the price of doing business,” Hemilright said.

For big companies, “What the hell’s a $20,000 fine?” he added. 

Where Hemilright sees the largest economic loss for North Carolina’s fishermen under NOAA regulations is competition from imported seafood.

“If every other country had to fish by the same regulations that I have, it’d be a lot more fish in the ocean,” he said. 

According to NOAA, the U.S. imports 70-85% of its seafood.

“We’re barely holding on as an industry, because there’s so many regulations,” Hemilright noted.

‘Doesn’t make any sense’

But fishing charters and cargo shippers aren’t the only entities being blamed for increased whale deaths. Offshore wind turbine facilities have also faced criticism. 

“These facilities are being placed in whales’ migratory paths and feeding and calving areas, and their construction and operations are excessively noisy, which is especially dangerous to whales who rely on sonar, pushing them into shipping and fishing lanes where they suffer deadly boat strikes and fishing entanglements,” Jon Sanders, a research editor for the John Locke Foundation, wrote in a Jan. 3 blog post. 

Harms, however, said humpback, right or minke whales are among the species of whales that do not use sonar. 

Andrew Read is director of the Duke University Marine Lab on Pivers Island in Beaufort and primarily studies longer-living marine species including marine mammals, namely the effects human activity can have.

Read noted that marine scientists such as him and Harms have been documenting whale deaths since before there were offshore wind activities. 

“The science is really clear that there’s no evidence whatsoever that any of these whales are being killed by any activity associated with offshore wind turbines,” he said. 

But Faircloth said he doubts some people performing necropsies “check for the right stuff.” 

While he understands the Dec. 27 whale that washed ashore in Kitty Hawk faced a ship strike, he questions whether its eardrums or communication abilities were affected by the Kitty Hawk Wind offshore turbine being built 27 miles off the coast.

People have linked whale deaths to offshore wind, Read said, to advance a political agenda against the development of green energy sources.

On the opposite side of the political spectrum, Faircloth said people “are all in on green energy” and don’t want to hear about the harm facilities are doing to the environment. 

Besides Kitty Hawk Wind, another offshore wind project has been proposed 22 miles from Bald Head Island — Carolina Long Bay. The project and location is still being assessed and construction has not started.

Hemilright, who works as a fishery representative to Kitty Hawk Wind, said people who are anti-wind “would do anything that would stop a wind turbine from being built.”

The Kitty Hawk Wind project is in a dead zone, a “pass-through” for fishermen, Faircloth said, but Carolina Long Bay would be encroaching on a bustling fishing area. 

“So you’re going to build this wind farm on one of our best fishing grounds, most productive reefs, habitats that are millions of years old, and you’re going to build a wind farm on it where there’s 13 endangered species — that doesn’t make any sense,” he added. 

Both sides of the offshore wind debate are loud, Hemilright said, and there is an incredible amount of complexity and a wide array of parties involved. 

“If I thought there was a smoking gun, then it’d be easy,” he said. 

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.

Called the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow network, or CoCoRaHS, volunteers are asked to take measurements in their own backyards.

“We are in need of new observers across the entire state. We would like to emphasize rural and coastal locations, and areas of higher terrain across the mountains,” state co-coordinator David Glenn explained in a release. Glenn is a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Newport office.

Visit the website and click on the “Join CoCoRaHS” emblem on the upper right side of the website to join the project. After registering, volunteers can purchase the required 4-inch plastic rain gauge through the network’s website at about $40 plus shipping. Volunteers will need to submit their reports through the network’s website or app.

“An additional benefit of the program for the National Weather Service is the ability to receive timely reports of significant weather such as hail, intense rainfall, or localized flooding from CoCoRaHS observers that can assist meteorologists in issuing and verifying warnings for severe thunderstorms,” Glenn added. 

Recently, drought reporting has become an important observation within the program and are now being included in the National Integrated Drought Information System. 

“CoCoRaHS observers provided valuable data for both Hurricane Florence and Dorian,” said Sean Heuser, a state co-coordinator and manager of the North Carolina Environment and Climate Observing Network, or NC ECOnet, at the State Climate Office of North Carolina.

“For these high intensity events, whether they are tropical systems or afternoon thunderstorms, CoCoRaHS observers are able to fill in gaps and provide a clearer picture of where we see precipitation maximums. We also use CoCoRaHS Condition Monitoring reports to determine weekly drought conditions across the state and give recommendations to the U.S. Drought Monitor authors,” Heuser said in a statement.

The grassroots program formed after a severe thunderstorm hit Fort Collins, Colorado, in July 1997, causing $200 million in flood-related damage. North Carolina was the 21st state to join in 2007. By 2010, the network had reached all 50 states with nearly 10,000 daily observations.

“Monitoring weather and climate conditions in North Carolina is no easy feat,” state co-coordinator Heather Aldridge said in the release. “CoCoRaHS volunteers help by painting a better picture of precipitation patterns across North Carolina, filling in data gaps where there are no nearby stations. Reporting rain, hail, snow, and drought conditions is a fun activity for all ages.”

Registration is open now for the daylong “Adaptation Planning for Coastal Communities” course being offered in April through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The class is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, at the NOAA Beaufort Lab Auditorium, 101 Pivers Island Road, Beaufort. Being offered at no charge, registration is required to attend.

“Coastal communities increasingly realize the need for adaptation strategies, but many are unsure where to begin. Attend this course to gain a thorough grounding and practical skills for incorporating adaptation strategies into planning processes,” organizers said.

Planners, public works staff, floodplain managers, hazard mitigation planners, sustainability managers, emergency managers, community groups, members of civic organizations, and coastal resource managers are encouraged to attend.

Trainers from NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management will lead the course that has the following learning objectives:

• Apply the basic elements of an adaptation planning framework to organize future preparedness efforts.
• Translate climate science into impacts on local community assets.
• Determine local vulnerabilities based on an existing assessment or hazard visualization tool.
• Interpret and apply results of a vulnerability assessment to inform adaptation priorities.
• Identify, compare and prioritize locally relevant adaptation strategies and actions.
• Organize adaptation options into a cohesive long-term strategy using an adaptation pathways approach.

American Institute of Certified Planners and Association of State Floodplain Managers can earn continuing education credits by attending this course.

A proposed federal rule designed to add another layer of protection for a critically endangered species of whale has been taken off the table.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, announced last week its withdrawal of proposed speed limits for vessels under 65 feet long in waters used by North Atlantic right whales.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, or NMFS, has been reviewing the proposed rule for more than two years, during which time it received some 90,000 public comments.

In a brief statement, NOAA said those comments reflected “views on all sides of the issues addressed.”

“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 in a release put out days before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday.

The decision drew immediate and sharp criticism from conservation groups advocating for additional North Atlantic right whale protections. Opponents of the proposal praised the agency’s decision, saying the speed limit would have resulted in economic losses.

Vessel strikes and entanglement in fishing gear are the leading causes of injuries and deaths to North Atlantic right whales, scientists say.

Only about 370 right whales remain in existence.

Following NOAA’s announcement, Oceana Campaign Director Gib Brogan fired off a statement calling the withdrawal “bureaucracy at its finest.”

“North Atlantic right whales don’t belong on our beaches, and they don’t deserve to die because of political incompetence and a blatant disregard for science-backed solutions,” he said in a release. “We hate to state the obvious but, we need a solution, and we need it now. It’s our sincere hope that the new administration does not want the first large whale to go extinct in centuries in U.S. waters because of federal red tape. The Trump administration must find a solution that keeps fisheries on the water, sustains the marine economy, and supports the recovery of the North Atlantic right whale.”

At least 16 North Atlantic right whales have been injured or killed in collisions with boats and ships since 2020, according to information provided by conservation groups. The fatalities include two females and dependent calves that died last year.

Last month at least three right whales were entangled in fishing gear. One of those, a juvenile male, was seen about 40 miles off the North Carolina coast. The other two, an adult female and adult male, were spotted off the Massachusetts coast.

“The gross inaction and delays by this administration over the past four years to release this rule is inexcusable,” Conservation Law Foundation Senior Counsel Erica Fuller stated in a release. “We exhausted every avenue available to us to move this forward as the right whale body count from vessel strikes continued to grow.”

The Conservation Law Foundation joined the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Whale and Dolphin Conservation in resubmitting a petition calling for National Marine Fisheries Service to beef up its 2008 speed rule. Specifically, the petition asked the agency to apply the rule to additional areas in which right whales are known to travel and include speed limits to smaller vessels.

“Research has shown that a vessel traveling at 10 knots or less is much likely to harm a whale in a collision,” according to a joint statement released by the environmental organizations.

Opponents of the proposed rule argue that right whale injuries and deaths from vessel strikes are caused by ships that fall under the current speed limit rule.

Congressman Greg Murphy, R-N.C., fought the proposed expanded speed limit, one he called “unscientific and ridiculously burdensome” in a statement released by his office last week.

“The Biden Administration pushed this rule even though it knew that the vessels it targeted were not responsible for the death of Right Whales,” Murphy said. “Regardless they pushed it on to the bitter end. Eastern North Carolina understands the importance of being good stewards of our environment while utilizing our God-given resources to help grow our economy and provide for our families. This is a tremendous victory for our fishermen, boaters, and countless businesses in our coastal economy who would have been devastated if this rule went into effect.”

If the rule were to be enforced, it would have affected nearly 16,000 vessels, 810,000 jobs and $230 billion in economic activity, according to Murphy’s office.

Current speed regulations require vessels 65 feet or longer, with the exception of government, law enforcement and some foreign boats and ships, to reduce speed to 10 knots in designated areas and during specific seasons along the U.S. East Coast.

But conservation groups contend few vessels actually comply with the rule.

“NOAA Fisheries has kept the right whale waiting for improved vessel strike protections for years,” Defenders of Wildlife Senior Attorney Jane Davenport said in a release. “In attempting to make everyone happy, the agency turned years of delay into an outright denial of the needs of a critically endangered species. The agency has a mandate to protect the right whale, but ran out the clock, leaving the whale with an out-of-date rule that we know is not enough.”

Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, called NMFS’s withdrawal of the proposed rule “cowardice and politics.”

“The agency’s inaction means that more right whales will suffer and die,” she said in a release. “The survival of these whales as a species depends on more protections from deadly ship strikes and deadly entanglements in fishing gear. If we don’t curb these manmade threats, these beautiful animals will vanish forever.”

Coastal communities along the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf coasts can now better assess changing flood risks using a newly released model created by the National Ocean Service.

The service, which falls under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on Monday launched Coastal Ocean Reanalysis, or CORA, a dataset that includes more than four decades of modeled and historical water level and wave information roughly every quarter mile along the U.S. coastline.

CORA closes what have been in some areas of the coast huge gaps in water level data collection that left some coastal communities without such information. That’s because historical data was until today available at NOAA’s tide gauge locations, which can be hundreds of miles apart along some areas of the coast.

“Historical coastal water level information is necessary to assess changing flood risks to communities and to predict the likelihood of flooding,” National Ocean Service Director Nicole LeBoeuf said in a release. “This new dataset will improve NOAA’s current flood-risk assessment tools and help scientists develop new coastal flood products and services for the nation.” 

The information provided in CORA can help advance coastal flood planning for everyone from local government planners, engineers, and flood management professionals.

“CORA provides coastal communities with new insights into how their flood risk has changed over time,” Analise Keeney, project lead and oceanographer at NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, stated in a release. “In Charleston, South Carolina, for example, CORA shows the full extent of the devastating inland flooding caused by Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Combined with NOAA’s long-term tide gauge data, the data enables more coastal communities to understand their past flood risks so they can better prepare and respond to future events.”

CORA’s historical datasets will be merged into tools including the Sea Level Calculator and High Tide Flooding Outlooks, and used by NOAA scientists to model monthly high tide flooding predictions every 500 meters along the coast to provide more communities with timely information about their flood risks. 

NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction is also collaborating with NOS to pair CORA dataset with the National Water Model to help make coastal flood inundation mapping more robust.

CORA datasets for the West Coast, Hawaii and Alaska are expected to be released in late 2026.

CORA is available for public download through NOAA’s Open Data Dissemination platform. Additional information, maps, and related resources are available on NOAA’s Tides and Currents website.

CORA was made possible through collaboration with the University of North Carolina’s Renaissance Computing Institute. The model was validated by the University of Hawaii’s Sea Level Center.

CORA is a community-based modeling effort made possible through collaboration with the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s Renaissance Computing Institute. Modeling validation was conducted by the University of Hawaii’s Sea Level Center.

Dozens of staff working in a building of a longstanding federal fisheries science lab in Beaufort have been displaced after it was discovered the building’s foundation is structurally damaged.

On Oct. 16, 40 employees had to move out of Building 2 at the National Ocean Service Lab after engineers with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of the Chief Administrative Officer verified the damage the day prior, a National Ocean Service spokesperson confirmed Friday.

Spokesperson Maureen O’Leary said in an email responding to questions that the damage was found during a routine assessment by the NOAA Beaufort Lab facilities team.

“As a result, the building has been vacated to ensure the safety of personnel,” O’Leary said. “We are looking at temporary facilities for our scientists to continue their work.”

The lab on Pivers Island between Morehead City and Beaufort is operated by the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, or NCCOS, under NOAA’s National Ocean Service.

Scientists in the NCCOS lab research harmful algal blooms, coastal resilience and restoration, habitat mapping, aquaculture siting and impacts and ecology of marshes and coral reefs.

The Beaufort Lab, as it is more often called, started out as a U.S. Commission of Fish and Fisheries field station in 1899 before moving to Pivers Island in 1902.

Nearly 100 years later, it was made part of the NCCOS.

The lab also houses NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center and Southeast Regional Office, the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologists David Glenn and Ryan Ellis are to give a glimpse of how forecasts are made now and looking ahead at this month’s “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 East Carolina University Outer Banks Campus in Wanchese.

Both based at the National Weather Service forecast office in Newport, Glenn is the meteorologist-in-charge and Ellis is the science and operations officer. The talk will focus on how weather projections are made and delivered to decision-makers, and how forecasting could evolve as new technology is incorporated.

Glenn began his career with NOAA’s National Weather Service in 2008 at the Portland, Maine, Weather Forecast Office. He was promoted in 2010 as forecaster at the Newport office and became the science and operations officer in June 2016. Glenn became the meteorologist-in-charge of the Newport office in October 2018.

Ellis has been with the Newport office since 2019. He was a meteorologist for 10 years with the Raleigh office and a student intern at the office in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ellis received his bachelor’s from the University of Miami and his master’s in meteorology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Ellis is an adjunct professor at East Carolina University in the Department of Geography.

The Coastal Studies Institute offers the monthly, in-person lecture series that highlights coastal topics and the public is encouraged to attend. The talk will be live-streamed on the CSI YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/live/MzxTqhyC1pg.

A nationwide survey to assess marine debris on all U.S. shorelines is underway.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program announced earlier this week the launch of the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey.

Marine debris is a widespread pollution issue that affects ocean, waterways and coastal areas worldwide, and can injure or kill wildlife, degrade habitats, impact important seafood resources, interfere with navigational safety, and negatively affect local economies, according to NOAA and environmental advocates.

The one-year, standalone, nationwide marine debris assessment is in partnership with the Texas-based research company 1stMission LLC.

The survey is to help answer currently unaddressed questions, such as the amount of marine debris on shorelines in in the continental U.S., Caribbean, Alaska, Pacific Islands and Great Lakes at any given time and which regions have more or less debris, officials said.

The project is being funded with more than $3.3 million through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Department of Commerce and NOAA announced Thursday.

“The survey will establish a scientifically-valid assessment of marine debris and the findings will be used to develop marine debris report cards, providing a tool to communicate and compare regional debris estimates across the nation’s shorelines,” NOAA officials said in the announcement.

The nationwide initiative builds on more than a decade of collaborative monitoring efforts with partner agencies, community groups and participants through the Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project, as well as the previous effort, National Marine Debris Monitoring Program.

“Monitoring marine debris contributes to our understanding about the amounts, sources, and types of debris, where it accumulates, and if it is changing over time,” officials said.

Data will be publicly available in the Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project database and and can be compared to regional marine debris action plans.

The project also is expected to initiate a long-term survey design to identify where and when to survey over the course of 11 years, that, if implemented, would allow for marine debris trend detection.

For more information about the NOAA Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project Nationwide Survey, visit the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s website. 

After a year of record coastal flooding, eastern North Carolina may feel a slight reprieve from high-tide flooding days between now and April 2025.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service last week released its 2024-25 Annual High-Tide Flooding Outlook, which projects slightly fewer of these flooding days through spring 2025 than last year. That’s because El Niño conditions are transitioning to La Niña conditions, and these two opposing climate patterns in the Pacific can affect weather worldwide.  

“Bottom line: Over the past year, we’ve seen record coastal flooding, or high-tide flooding, along our coastlines,” Nicole LeBoeuf, National Ocean Service director, during the Aug. 6 online news briefing, said. “When the ocean runs hot, sea levels run high, and we see that playing out in our coastal flooding data.”

The outlook recaps high-tide flooding events from May 2023 to April of this year at 97 NOAA tide gauges along the U.S. coast, and it projects what to expect at these locations through April 2025.

High-tide flooding, which is sometimes called nuisance or sunny-day flooding, happens when tides reach anywhere from 1 to 2 feet above the daily average high tide, and cover what is typically dry land along the coast. “As sea levels continue to rise, high-tide flooding occurs more frequently, even without severe weather,” she said.

For the 2023-24 season, coastal communities in the United States experienced seven to eight flood days, LeBoeuf said. In 2023, 34 locations broke or tied their records for flood days, which she called “a dramatic increase” from the previous year.

Hot ocean temperatures led to the highest levels of sea level measurement on record. There were 44 NOAA tide gauge locations, mostly on the East Coast, that broke or tied their previously recorded sea levels to date. This means “we got an additional 6 inches of sea level rise and five median coastal flood days annually compared to the year 2000, roughly a 200% increase,” LeBoeuf said.

The recurring climate pattern called El Niño contributed to the record-breaking 2023-24 observations.

“El Niño typically raises ocean temperatures and can result in more frequent and intense storms hitting the coastlines, especially along the East Coast, where we saw many records break this past year,” she said. “With sea level rise and high-tide flooding increasing, El Niño simply makes things worse for coastal communities, home to almost 40% of the U.S. population.”

Because high-tide flooding can degrade infrastructure, damage property and disrupt coastal ecosystems and people’s daily lives, NOAA works to help communities predict this kind of flooding and its potential impacts, she said.

NOAA maintains the tide gauges across the U.S. and its territories that make up the National Water Level Observation Network. Some of the gauges have been recording water-level data for more than 150 years. Through this network, “NOAA monitors the unrelenting creep of sea level rise and the rapid increase of high-tide flooding,” LeBoeuf said.

The outlook brings together data about high-tide flooding events between May 2023 and April 2024. That time frame is used to “account for increased sea levels in the fall and increased stormy weather during winter months, so that we can most effectively predict the year ahead,” she continued.

There are four National Water Level Observation Network stations on the North Carolina coast. According to the annual outlook, Duck experienced 22 high-tide flood days between May 2022 and April 2023 compared to 13 the year prior. Oregon Inlet Marina encountered seven days, up two from the previous year’s five. High-tide flood days at the Duke University Marine Lab at Pivers Island in Beaufort increased from six to 11. At the Wilmington tide gauge, high-tide flood days increased from two to three.

“Almost every location we measure between New York and Georgia broke their sea level and flood-day records in 2023. It’s like El Niño had the US East Coast in its Bullseye,” she said.

In the coming year, NOAA projects that the country’s coastal communities will see a median range of four to eight high-tide flooding days between May of this year and next April, which she said is slightly down from last year “as we move away from El Niño and into La Niña conditions.”

The outlook projects that for Duck, there will be nine to 15 high-tide flood days, four to seven at Oregon Inlet Marina, four to six at Duke University Marine Lab in Beaufort, and two to six in Wilmington.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service researchers predicted that this year’s Atlantic hurricane season will increase the chance of significant flooding in some places, particularly along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

Hurricane predictions are not directly factored into NOAA’s high-tide flooding outlooks, but the product “can provide situational awareness regarding baseline flooding that can compound the impacts from real-time weather events like hurricanes and tropical storms” she said. “Events like hurricanes get a lot of attention, but high-tide flooding is one of the most tangible impacts of long-term sea level rise, reminding us that while we brace for impact today, the United States must also plan for a wetter future.”

NOAA scientists project that communities across the nation will experience an average of 45 to 85 high-tide flood days per year by 2050, which means that “every four to eight days, Americans along our coast will face disruptive and damaging seawater inundation regardless of the weather at the time.”

The federal agency also produces a Monthly High Tide Flooding Outlook to provide flooding likelihoods each day of the year, up to a year in advance, offering windows of time where there’s increased flood risks.

“Together, these outlooks complement one another with information across time scales to protect lives, ecosystems and economies as towns, states, tribes and businesses are faced with increased coastal flooding,” LeBoeuf said.

Coastal Ecologist Dr. Christine Voss, who recently retired from University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences based in Morehead City, in response for comments about this high-tide outlook, explained that the trends in rising sea levels and the acceleration of global, regional and local water levels are sustained, and the data are clear. 

“If one examines the entirety of the data, there is some annual variation, yet the ‘big picture’ is unchanged. In its reports, including this one, NOAA makes clear that the Southeast US region, including coastal NC, is experiencing more high-tide flooding due to global sea-level rise, land subsidence, and regional oceanographic effects — compared to 2000 and the previous century,” she said in an email.

NOAA’s Aug. 6 article suggests that the expected development of La Niña is likely the reason that their models predict a lower number of high-tide flooding events from May 2024 through April 2025, compared to the previous year.

“So, this is the ‘regional oceanographic effects’ part of the equation. There are also numerous astronomical harmonic constituents that cause variation in our water levels,” Voss said. “Some of these harmonics have a period of up to almost 19 years,” pointing to the harmonic constituents at the NOAA Beaufort, Duke Marine Lab gauge and the Wilmington gauge.  

“Regardless of the flux in water levels, the major trend is the continued rising of sea levels and an acceleration of this trend. We, along the NC coastal region, need to proactively prepare for higher sea levels and do what we can to slow climate change,” Voss continued.

Recommendations for the second round of funding through the Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience grant program include two projects in North Carolina.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday the 32 projects it recommends to receive nearly $220 million under the bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021 and the Democratic Party’s anti-inflation measure passed in 2022.

“This is a historic investment in strengthening the climate resilience of our nation’s coastal ecosystems and communities,” NOAA officials said. The projects to restore coastal habitat and strengthen community resilience “will reconnect rivers to their historic floodplains, outplant corals to rebuild reefs, restore salt marshes that protect coasts from erosion and sea level rise, and more.”

Jacksonville has been recommended to receive $8 million in the first year, and up to $16 million total over three years, to restore critical habitat and alleviate flooding within the New River watershed.

The effort, which builds on the success of the New River Estuary Oyster Highway and Wilson Bay restoration project, includes wetland restoration, culvert replacement, living shoreline creation and planting of 3 million oysters. The work is expected to improve water quality, recreational access and community resilience, officials said.

The Nature Conservancy has been recommended to receive $4 million in the first year, and up to $7.9 million total over three years. The conservation organization is to use the funding to lead extensive community engagement to improve fish passage and increase resilience on the Cape Fear River.

The project is expected to identify and garner consensus around a fish passage solution at two dams on the mainstem river. It will also build capacity for local governments by sharing best practices for nature-based solutions to address concerns related to water quality, flooding and other community hazards.

For the first round of grants announced in April 2023, NOAA awarded more than $265 million in funding for 38 projects, including $15 million to the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

The Coastal Federation has been using the funds to partner with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries to restore nearly 120 acres of oyster habitat in Pamlico Sound to complete the 500-acre goal of the Jean Preston Memorial Oyster Sanctuary. The Coastal Federation has been working with the North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology and North Carolina Central University to provide opportunities for underrepresented graduate and undergraduate students studying marine sciences.

North Carolina Division of Coastal Management staff are encouraging the public to speak about proposed changes to vessel speed restrictions determined on the federal level.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service, or NOAA Fisheries, proposed the amendments to what is often called the “speed rule” to further reduce “the likelihood of mortalities and serious injuries to endangered right whales from vessel collisions, which are a leading cause of the species’ decline and a primary factor in an ongoing Unusual Mortality Event.”

The state is in the process of reviewing the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s consistency determination to see if NOAA Fisheries’ proposed amendments to the speed rule are as consistent as possible with the state’s enforceable coastal management policies.

Division officials said that the changes include the following:

• Modifying the boundaries and timing seasonal speed restrictions of 10 knots or less, renamed seasonal speed zones, to better align with areas characterized by elevated collision-related mortality risk.
• Creating a dynamic speed zone program to implement temporary mandatory speed restrictions when whales are known to be present outside active seasonal speed zones.
• Extending the size threshold of regulated vessels to include most vessels 35 feet or greater in length.
• Updating the speed rule’s safety deviation provision.

The public can submit comments during a meeting 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 23, at the Crystal Coast Civic Center in Morehead City. The meeting will end at 6:30 p.m. or until comments are concluded, whichever comes first. Each speaker will be allowed 3 minutes each.

Written comments can be mailed to Federal Consistency Coordinator Daniel Govoni, 400 Commerce Ave., Morehead City, NC 28557, or emailed to DCMComments@deq.nc.gov. Include “North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule” in the email subject line. Deadline is 5 p.m. July 31.

All comments will be considered in developing the state’s consistency response. Notice of the decision regarding this matter will be provided upon request, officials said.

Colorado State University’s tropical weather and climate team forecast “an extremely active” 2024 Atlantic hurricane season.

The team, in its initial forecast announced Thursday, predicts 23 named storms during the Atlantic hurricane season, which is June 1 to Nov. 30. Of those, 11 are expected to become hurricanes and five to reach major hurricane strength, or Category 3 to 5 on the Saffir/Simpson scale, with sustained winds of 111 mph or greater.

This is the highest prediction for hurricanes that the team has ever issued with their April outlook, researchers said. The prior highest April forecast was for nine hurricanes, which has been called for several times since 1995 when the university began issuing April forecasts.

The team cites “record warm tropical and eastern subtropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures” as a major factor for their initial prediction. A very warm Atlantic favors an above-average season, since a hurricane’s fuel source is warm ocean water, and leads to lower atmospheric pressure and a more unstable atmosphere, both of which favor hurricanes.

The team predicts that 2024 hurricane activity will be about 170% of the average season from 1991 to 2020. By comparison, 2023’s hurricane activity was about 120% of the average season.

This year’s hurricane season is exhibiting characteristics similar to 1878, 1926, 1998, 2010 and 2020.

“Our analog seasons were all very active Atlantic hurricane seasons,” said Phil Klotzbach, senior research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at CSU and lead author of the report. “This highlights the somewhat lower levels of uncertainty that exist with this outlook relative to our typical early April outlook.”

Given the considerable changes that can occur in the atmosphere and ocean between April and the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season from August to October, the team stressed that the April outlook historically has the “lowest level of skill” of their operational seasonal hurricane forecasts.

HARKERS ISLAND — The North Carolina Coastal Federation on Friday hosted staff from Sens. Thom Tillis’ and Ted Budd’s offices along with federal and state officials on a tour of federally funded coastal projects.

The projects include removing abandoned and derelict vessels and marine debris, and the construction of oyster sanctuaries in the Pamlico Sound. The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

Joe Huie is a commercial fisherman from Sneads Ferry. He has worked as Coastal Federation contractor, supervising marine debris crews, for about five years. His crew members are all fishermen, and their work began just after Hurricane Florence in 2018.

“Hurricane Florence devastated our area,” Huie said. “We got almost 4 feet of rain; the river was closed for four or five months. So they hired us on to help put together crews pick up marine debris. And from the very first day that we started, even in waters that we were intimately familiar with, we realized that there was way more marine debris than anybody could ever imagine.”

He said the crews, working between Sneads Ferry and the South Carolina state line, collected an average 1 ton of marine debris every day by hand.

“Even in places that we’ve been to and we returned to, we still average a ton of material a day,” Huie said. “And that’s four guys carrying it on their backs in and out of the marsh. So we make very small impacts to the environment, and it’s providing a lot of work for a lot of fishermen in our area.”

He said the crews truly appreciate the work.

“We don’t take it for granted because it helps us clean up the places that we grew up in, that we work in, that we we get food from,” Huie said. “And it also provides us with a job so we feel like we’re giving back to the areas that made us all who we are.”

The work is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via the nearly $6 billion total funding under the Inflation Reduction Act and the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Tillis and Budd, along with all other Republicans in both chambers, voted against the 2022 climate change and healthcare measure. Tillis voted in favor of the 2021 infrastructure act, while Budd, who was a House member at the time, was opposed.

The senators’ regional representatives, Grayson Overholt for Tillis, and Sam Shumate, for Budd, declined to comment but offered to connect Coastal Review with staff who were authorized to speak. Tillis’ communications director responded, but no comment was received in time for publication.

The Coastal Federation said the work is part of a larger effort to rid the coast of storm-related debris, lost fishing gear and derelict vessels. The effort also includes broad public outreach and education efforts aimed at reducing marine debris at the source.

Coastal Federation scientist and Marine Debris Program Director Ted Wilgis explained how the federal and state funding the nonprofit receives to protect and restore coastal waters and habitats, provides jobs and economic support for coastal communities.

“The vast majority of funding is going to pay contractors, suppliers, fishermen like these,” Wilgis said.

Building oyster habitat

The tour included a visit to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries stockpile and boatyard at South River. The NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation is supporting construction of 120 acres of oyster habitat in Pamlico Sound. This project is to complete the 500-acre Sen. Jean Preston Memorial Oyster Sanctuary, which began with 15 acres in 2017 and was named for the longtime legislator who represented Carteret County in the North Carolina General Assembly. Preston died in 2013.

Oyster sanctuaries provide direct benefits for key recreational and commercial species, the Coastal Federation noted, citing as examples striped bass and wild oysters.

Another part of the project involves a collaboration of the Coastal Federation, North Carolina Central University and North Carolina State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, or CMAST, to provide hands-on opportunities for underrepresented graduate and undergraduate students studying marine sciences.

These NOAA-supported projects are helping the Coastal Federation advance its goal of protecting and restoring the North Carolina coast for future generations, the nonprofit said.

“We are incredibly grateful for the funds provided through the Inflation Reduction Act, which have allowed us to enhance our capacity to address the issue of marine debris,” said NOAA Marine Debris Program Director Nancy Wallace in a statement. “The strides made by our partners at the North Carolina Coastal Federation have been pivotal in protecting the North Carolina coast and waterways, and we are excited to see the effects of their continued efforts with the implementation of these projects.”

Featured Image

A late winter fog blankets Beaufort’s historic downtown in this recent aerial view. The Gallants Channel Bridge is visible at the upper left, Pivers Island and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Beaufort Laboratory docks, lower left. Photo: Dylan Ray

For the first time in nearly six months, all 100 North Carolina counties are drought-free.

While the vast majority of coastal counties are in the black, one remains “abnormally dry” along with handful of western counties, according to the Drought Management Advisory Council.

Those include: Dare, Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon counties.

And Council Chair Klaus Albertin warns that eastern counties are potentially at the threshold of slipping back into drought status.

“The western tip keeps improving, but in eastern North Carolina, we’ve seen the Albemarle Sound slowly getting worse,” Albertin stated. “The whole coastal plain has missed out on many of these big rain events, so we are keeping a close eye on that area.”

El Niño, a climate pattern that typically brings cool, wet weather, resulted in heavier storms from the west. But Albertin said in a release that that pattern isn’t expected to stick around.

“We are starting to see dry conditions creep into eastern North Carolina,” he said.

The state as a whole has not been free of drought since Aug. 8, 2023.

According to the State Climate Office, the state experienced drought 24 weeks in a row with the most severe impacts being felt in western North Carolina.

“We had a number of systems going into voluntary water conservation, elevated wildfire risk linked to the dry conditions, and impacts to wildlife habitat from low water levels,” Albertin said.

Each Thursday, the council updates its drought map.

The council consists of drought experts who meet weekly from various government agencies in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina.

The council is organized by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources. It submits drought condition recommendations to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Drought Mitigation Center.

A map of U.S. drought conditions is available at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

An informational webinar about an opportunity to compete for part of $16 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for research projects to prevent and rid the coast of marine debris is set for Oct. 3.

North Carolina Sea Grant announced Monday that it is looking for partners interested in the latest round of NOAA Sea Grant funding for the Marine Debris Challenge Competition to begin exploring partnerships and topics now. Letters of intent, due Jan. 30, 2024, are the first step — and must be submitted by a Sea Grant program.

“We are excited to collaborate with a variety of partners — from national, regional, state and local scales — to bring many talents together to address marine debris challenges within our coastal watersheds and coastal communities, and beyond,” Susan White, North Carolina Sea Grant executive director, said in a statement. “Such integrated research, extension and education efforts are critical to moving the needle for a problem that is expanding, and affects all here, nationally and globally.”

Instructions for the Marine Debris Challenge Competition opportunity can be found on the national Sea Grant Funding page.

The webinar begins at 4 p.m. Oct. 3. Register in advance.

NOAA Sea Grant said the opportunity is open to any person or group within the United States or its territories, as well as tribal nations within those geographies.

“Applicants must submit proposals in partnership with a relevant Sea Grant Program. Please note that it is not a requirement that investigators, including the principal investigator, be part of a Sea Grant program,” the funding announcement explains. 

Partners interested in submitting a proposal in collaboration with and/or through NC Sea Grant should contact John Fear at jmfear@ncsu.edu or White at snwhite3@ncsu.edu quickly to discuss the proposal topic and Sea Grant collaboration.

“As with all our funding opportunities, we seek a wide range of researchers, participants and partners from communities that have been underserved, and from universities and organizations serving those communities,” Fear said. 

Only those who submit letters of intent are eligible to submit full proposals. Full proposals must be based on letters of intent and include Sea Grant partnerships.

Only Sea Grant programs may submit full proposals for this federal opportunity. Thus, proposals from North Carolina researchers must be submitted to John Fear by 5 p.m., Friday, March 1, 2024, to ensure NC Sea Grant has the time needed to process all proposals ahead of the federal deadline.

Complete proposals should be emailed to jmfear@ncsu.edu.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation is moving forward with its plans to expand an existing Pamlico Sound oyster sanctuary network and create a partnership to encourage underrepresented university students to study marine sciences.

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration notified the nonprofit Thursday that the $14.9 million grant had been finalized.

NOAA first announced the award recommendation in late April for the nearly $15 million project titled, “Completing the Pamlico Sound Oyster Sanctuary and Training the Next Generation of Restoration Professionals,” through the Biden administration’s Climate Ready Coasts initiative, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. 

This project is expected to complete the 500-acre goal of oyster sanctuaries in the Sen. Jean Preston Oyster Sanctuary Network, which is named in memory of the late state senator who represented Carteret County, and to facilitate an innovative program with N.C. State University and N.C. Central University to offer hands-on opportunities for underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students studying marine sciences.

Coastal Federation Oyster Program Director Erin Fleckenstein said that there are a handful of immediate next steps ahead for the oyster sanctuary work, including finalizing locations of  future sanctuary construction.

“The grant will allow us to build out several existing sanctuaries that are already permitted, but we also need to finalize locations and permit the additional sanctuary locations,” she said. Organization staff will be able to work with material suppliers to secure enough in the quantities and types needed to build out the sanctuary acres, and ensure that the stockpile locations are prepped and ready.

Lastly, Fleckenstien said that for this portion of the project, the Coastal Federation will open up bids for a construction contractor who will be responsible for constructing the sanctuaries that are planned.

For the partnership with the two universities, Fleckenstein said the researchers have advertised and made motions to hire a cohort of graduate students who will work toward their master’s or doctorate’s during the course of the grant.

“We’ve developed a list of potential research questions that the students will address during their research,” she added.

N.C. State Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, or CMAST, Director David Eggleston explained to Coastal Review that research on restoring oyster reefs and creating tools to help guide future restoration sites has been conducted for the past 15 years. The research group first teamed up with the Coastal Federation in 2010 in response to funding through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

“This initial effort focused on assessing the ecological performance of restored, subtidal oyster reefs in Pamlico Sound that are a part of the Jean Preston Oyster Sanctuary Network,” he said. This current project with the Coastal Federation, and other partners including N.C. Central, the state Division of Marine Fisheries and the North Carolina Aquariums system, will assess the ecological performance of restored subtidal oyster reefs.

“A novel and key component of the current project is to diversify and train the next generation of coastal habitat restoration practitioners. There is increasing recognition of the valuable ecosystem services provided by coastal habitats such as oyster reefs, seagrasses, salt marshes and mangroves. Given limited resources for habitat restoration, it is critical to locate restoration projects in areas that have the greatest chance of success,” Eggleston explained.

During this project, they will focus on training underrepresented graduate and undergraduate students in Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, computer-based machine learning, population dynamics, statistics and a broad suite of field and laboratory techniques including scientific diving, boat handling, and communication skills.

The N.C. State component is to assess the ecological performance of the restored oyster reefs relative to either unstructured estuarine bottom, or adjacent oyster reefs. Examples of ecological performance include tracking oyster settlement, growth and survival on restored oyster reefs, characterizing fish use of the reefs, the footprint of the reefs and any changes in their structural complexity over time, and refining GIS-based tools used to guide where to locate new restoration sites, he explained.

“Most of the budget for this project component is devoted to supporting graduate and undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM,” he said.

N.C. State University is partnering with Dr. Carresse Gerald, assistant professor in Environmental, Earth and Geospatial Sciences at N.C. Central University, to recruit undergraduate and graduate students to participate in this project, serve as a formal co-mentor and graduate committee member for students, and facilitate approaches for student success, Eggleston said.

For undergraduates, this includes successful scholarship or fellowship applications, employment post-graduation in STEM, or acceptance to graduate programs. For graduate students, this is earning a degree in a timely manner, which is two to three years for a master’s or four to five years for a doctorate, as well as enhancing skills in critical thinking, communication, interdisciplinarity and quantitative tools.

“These achievements should lead to increased workforce development of underrepresented groups as restoration practitioners, as well as building research capacity at an Historically Black College or University,” he said.

Gerald and Dr. Del Bohnenstiehl, professor in the Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences department at N.C. State, introduced the project during the Coastal Federation’s Oyster Summit, a two-day workshop held earlier this year in Raleigh.

Bohnenstiehl said there are three pillars to the program, with the first being a cohort of eight graduate students from underrepresented groups. The students will have an opportunity to begin or finish their master’s program or begin their doctorate program in marine science, data science or geospatial analytics.

“Our focus is going to be on recruiting from HBCUs such as North Carolina Central and other universities,” he said. HBCUs are historically Black colleges and universities.

The students will be working collaboratively and be involved in all aspects of the project. They will be able to carve out some piece of the project that they can focus on for their thesis, gain more expertise and work with advisers, Bohnenstiehl continued.

Gerald, during the summit, said that over the past few years, she has taken undergraduate students to the coast to work with the Coastal Federation.

“They really enjoy being out there, looking at the living shorelines, looking at the oysters and learning about the ecological impacts of those types of things on the environment,” Gerald said, adding that the program advisers intend to travel to the coast with more undergraduate students to encourage their exploration of this type of science and to develop an interest in restoration ecology.

Gerald said there will be opportunities for undergraduates in her science classes to visit the coast for field work, as well.

“I had an environmental education and outreach course that has come down to the coast before and so we’ll have some of those students as well participate in this effort to learn more about living shorelines, the ecology in the marine data science that is happening down in the Pamlico Sound,” she said.

Bohnenstiehl said that one of the opportunities that Central’s undergraduate students are encouraged to take advantage of in the short term is the summer fellowship at CMAST, “an existing program that has been very successful. It’s up to about 40% minority participation already.”

There is funding through this project to support four students from underrepresented groups every summer for the next three years, Bohnenstiehl said.

“We think there’s going to be a huge opportunity to bring these students in, and all the research shows if you start off hands-on, kind of long summer experiences are really critical for getting students engaged in and engaging them in the STEM fields,” he said. STEM means science, technology, engineering and math.

The students will train and take courses but at the heart of the project is an ecological study, trying to understand the benefits of building the sanctuary reefs, their function and their ecosystem services, Bohnenstiehl explained.

“And that’s what the students will be working on, trying to quantify and understand together with partners from DMF and elsewhere,” he continued. Components of the project include field sampling, oyster demographics, mercury within the oyster samples, and “We’ll be looking at maps of the seafloor, trying to quantify and find ways to describe the habitat that’s created by these reefs.”

Bohnenstiehl said they anticipate bringing the graduate students into this project in all aspects as well as the undergraduate students at these different levels.

“Over the next three years, we should have 70 or 80 different students participate in these programs and contribute to the science that goes into all of this and hopefully they’ll be prepared then to be this next generation of practitioners when it comes to understanding oyster reefs and restoration in general,” he said.

Gerald explained to Coastal Review that she was brought in by the Federation’s Coastal Education Coordinator, Rachel Bisesi, “who asked if I would be interested in working on the grant. After a meeting with other partners from NC State we were forging ahead.”

Gerald said they plan to select well-rounded students – four from N.C. State and four from N.C. Central – by evaluating their academic progress, personal statement along with other metrics.

Some of the work students will delve into includes analyzing habitat restoration response variables in the oyster populations and evaluating contaminants such as mercury in the oyster species, she explained.

Gerald said the goal for N.C. Central’s portion of the project is to increase students, more specifically underrepresented and underserved individuals, to engage in ecological studies and more specifically restoration ecology by engaging them in the large-scale oyster restoration project in the Pamlico Sound.

The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

Federal officials want input from the public on how to equitably provide data, information, science and tools to diverse communities to help them prepare, adapt and plan for the effects of climate change.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has published in the Federal Register a request for information on how the agency can increase capacity and access to climate services for climate preparedness, resilience and adaptation planning in historically underserved communities, including Tribal and Indigenous communities. The agency also wants input on how it can better include Indigenous and local knowledge in its climate services.

Responses are due on or before Sept. 21 and may be submitted in English or Spanish.

A series of regional- and topic-based listening sessions to gather public comments began Thursday and continues through Sept. 14. Registration details and additional information about how to participate in the public listening sessions is available at  https://www.eventbrite.com/​cc/​equitable-climate-service-delivery-2404789.

The feedback will be used to develop a plan to make NOAA’s climate services more accessible, understandable, usable and inclusive of the social and economic impacts of climate change, officials said.

The plan will also address complex hazards and build capacity for and support users of all disciplines and backgrounds, particularly historically underserved communities and Tribal communities, by expanding science literacy and successfully applying climate services to science-based decisions about climate risk and resilience.

You may submit comments on this document by email to climate.input@noaa.gov. Include “Request for Information on Equitable Delivery of Climate Services” in the subject line of the email.

Attachments will be accepted in plain text, Microsoft Word, or Adobe PDF, or recorded formats only, not to exceed a file size of 25 MB. If comments are submitted via recording, they must be in .mpg, mpeg, or .wav file formats. All comments submitted via email in recorded format will be transcribed.

Comments may also be submitted in writing only by visiting www.regulations.gov/​, entering “Request for Information on Equitable Delivery of Climate Services” in the search box and clicking the “Comment” icon. Enter “N/A” in required fields if you wish to remain anonymous.

Submit written comments via U.S. Mail to Ella Clarke, Room 58010/HCHB, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20230. Include “Request for Information on Equitable Delivery of Climate Services” in the written response.

Comments submitted in Spanish will be translated to English for public posting.

Scientists with the Morehead City-based Geodynamics have undertaken a large-scale survey of the Albemarle Sound’s 522 square nautical miles.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Coast Survey, the nation’s nautical chart-maker, tasked the company, which focuses on collecting and processing high-resolution lidar and orthoimagery for coastal and marine resource programs, with the hydrographic survey of the sound’s shallow, complex environments.

“The project, which is now underway and expected to be complete this summer, is the first modern charting survey of the Albemarle Sound in more than 100 years,” Geodynamics representatives said Tuesday.

Data from the hydrographic survey will be used to update NOAA National Ocean Service charts and products, and characterize the estuarine environment to help manage a healthy and sustainable seafood industry and help monitor future changes to the estuary ecology, according to the company.

The data also will provide forecasters at NOAA’s National Water Center with bathymetric data to create a multi-dimensional hydrodynamic model that incorporates water level changes from riverine, storm-induced and sea level impacts to better understand nutrient movement and inundation.

“We are honored that NOAA Coast Survey recognizes our vast expertise in hydrographic surveying and geospatial solutions, and experience in shallow complex environments, to entrust us with a project of this magnitude,” Geodynamics Program Manager Dave Bernstein said in a statement.

“Our purpose-built vessels and advanced survey technologies will collect over 18,500 nautical miles of sonar data to help NOAA greatly improve safe navigation in the Albemarle Sound and its connecting waterways, while providing even greater insights into the effects of water level change and coastal resiliency and how nutrient movement is impacting the environment,” he added.

To collect the sonar-based, high-resolution data, Geodynamics has been using six different types of vessels: a vessel capable of multi-day, 24-hour survey operations, three daily operation vessels, and two uncrewed surface vehicles.

The data is being managed through a survey information management system, or SIMS, which is a collection of online applications and eGIS geographic information system services for survey planning, management and quality control in an interactive online environment.

Geodynamics was founded in 2001 by researchers in marine geology, coastal science and remote sensing and was acquired in March 2021 by NV5, a company that works with public and private sector clients to support infrastructure, utility and building assets and systems. For more information, visit the Geodynamics website.

Though the National Hurricane Center named its first tropical storm Friday, the day after the 2023 hurricane season began, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters anticipate a near-normal hurricane season for the Atlantic.

NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center, under the National Weather Service, predict a 40% chance of a near-normal season, a 30% chance of an above-normal season, and a 30% chance of a below-normal season, the federal agency announced late last month. Hurricane season ends Nov. 30.

NOAA is forecasting a range of 12 to 17 total named storms, which have winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, five to nine could become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher, including one to four major hurricanes coming in at a Category 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 111 mph or higher. NOAA said it has a 70% confidence in these ranges.

The first named storm formed as a tropical depression Thursday in the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening to Tropical Storm Arlene on Friday, that then weakened to a remnant low Saturday, officials said.

“As we saw with Hurricane Ian, it only takes one hurricane to cause widespread devastation and upend lives. So regardless of the number of storms predicted this season, it is critical that everyone understand their risk and heed the warnings of state and local officials. Whether you live on the coast or further inland, hurricanes can cause serious impacts to everybody in their path,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement.

“Visit ready.gov or listo.gov for readiness resources, and get real time emergency alerts by downloading the FEMA App. Actions taken today can save your life when disaster strikes. The time to prepare is now,” she added.

NOAA’s outlook is for overall seasonal activity and is not a landfall forecast. The Climate Prediction Center will update its Atlantic seasonal outlook in early August, right before the historical peak of the season.

For example, after three hurricane seasons with La Nina present, NOAA scientists predict a high potential for El Nino to develop this summer, which can suppress Atlantic hurricane activity.

This year’s Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be less active than recent years, because of competition factors — some that suppress storm development and some that fuel it — driving this year’s overall forecast for a near-normal season.

Officials have also updated how it warns the public, including expanding the range for the tropical weather outlook graphic from five to seven days, and the excessive rainfall outlook, which shows general areas at risk for flash flooding due to excessive rainfall, has been expanded from three to five days.

In September, new forecast flood inundation mapping for parts of Texas, the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are to be released, with the rest of the U.S. by 2026. Forecast flood inundation maps will show the extent of flooding at street level.

Beaufort’s historic Front Street is a bustling hub for local businesses, and strolling around the area is a must-do for tourists. But all this activity is disrupted when the town experiences flooding.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this has been happening more frequently over the past 20 years and will become increasingly common as sea levels continue to rise.

Thoroughly understanding flood dynamics is important for protecting people and property along the North Carolina coast.

A new study from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University researchers, led by former UNC Institute for the Environment researcher Adam Gold, has illuminated a hidden aspect of flooding not captured by NOAA’s flood observations. Gold currently is with the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund.

The researchers, who work together on the Sunny Day Flooding Project, used Beaufort’s Front Street as a case study to test a new, real-time sensor framework for detecting and measuring coastal flooding.

NOAA flood observations are based on data from tide gauges, which measure changes in water levels due to the tides, storm surge and river flow. But, the researchers found, they don’t capture flooding caused by rainfall, which accounted for 25% of the 24 flood events they observed in Beaufort during the five-month study period from June to November 2021.

These new measurements of rainfall-induced flooding begin to fill an important gap in flood records.

“It’s kind of an insidious problem,” Gold said. Because downtown Beaufort is so developed, rain can’t soak into the ground, and it runs into the underground drainage system instead.

“Ideally that would flow out to the sound or to Taylors Creek,” Gold explained. “But what we’re seeing is with these higher water levels in the tidal creek, that water is creeping up into the stormwater network.”

The drainage system eventually fills and water spills out onto streets and sidewalks.

“That’s the exact kind of flooding that future projections of coastal flooding don’t take into account,” Gold said.

This type of flooding, caused by the combined effect of sea level rise and rainfall, is called compound flooding. Colloquially, it is known as rainy-day flooding. Its counterpart, sunny-day flooding, occurs during exceptionally high tides in the absence of precipitation. Sunny-day flooding accounted for the remaining 75% of floods during the study period.

“Compound flooding is important to measure because flooding frequency is increasing with local sea level rise combined with heavy precipitation events,” said Molly Bost, an estuarine research scientist on contract with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Science Coastal Resilience, Restoration, and Assessment Branch in Beaufort and who was not involved with the research.

In addition to increasing scientific understanding of compound flooding in Beaufort, another benefit of the sensor framework the Sunny Day Flooding Project researchers developed is that it is linked to a publicly accessible web app. This means anyone with an internet connection can access the camera to see water levels on Front Street in real time. Headed to New Bern, Down East Carteret County, or Carolina Beach? Additional cameras extend the app’s reach to thoroughfares there, as well.

Bost said having real-time data and flood cameras can help mitigate risk. “Compound floods make roads impassable, hindering day-to-day operations across many industries at the coast,” she explained while pointing out that chronic flooding also degrades infrastructure.

The root cause of all this flooding — whether it occurs on sunny or rainy days — is sea level rise. Even on sunny days, during high tide, water can spill out onto roadways through stormwater drainage systems. The problem is magnified on rainy days. And it will only get worse: a 2022 report led by NOAA predicts sea levels along U.S. coasts will rise, on average, by 10-12 inches over the next 30 years.

Both Gold and Bost said quantifying the frequency and severity of compound flooding will help communities better adapt to sea level rise. Flooding can be hyperlocal depending on an area’s vegetation cover, distance to water bodies, topography, and even winds.

The sensor framework the Sunny Day Flooding Project team describes in their study published March 27, which is relatively inexpensive at just $650 for a pressure logger, subaerial camera and communications equipment, could be deployed elsewhere around Beaufort and other communities to see which locations are most susceptible to compound flooding.

This information could then inform adaptation planning. For example, on a street vulnerable to rainy day flooding, one-way valves in the stormwater drainage system are likely a better solution than higher sand dunes or waterfront bulkheads.

As towns up and down the North Carolina coast grapple with how they will adapt to flooding, one thing individuals can do is sign up for flood alerts through the Sunny Day Flooding Project’s web app. The system is still preliminary, but anyone can sign up to get an email when the sensor network detects likely flooding. 

Longtime hurricane specialist Dr. Mike Brennan began Monday his new role as director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials announced the appointment Monday.

Brennan, a North Carolina State University graduate, has been with the National Hurricane Center for most of his 15-year career with NOAA, serving the past year as the center’s acting deputy director. 

Brennan is filling the position left vacant by previous director, Ken Graham, who became director of the National Weather Service in June 2022. Jamie Rhome served as acting director of the center since that time and will resume his duties as deputy director.

“I am honored and humbled to work with the talented staff at the National Hurricane Center at a time when we are making exciting advancements in hurricane forecasts and developing new decision support tools to improve community resilience to powerful hurricanes and tropical storms,” Brennan said in a statement. “Along with our colleagues across the National Weather Service and NOAA, we’re working to improve community safety through clear communication on the various hazards posed by these storms.” 

Brennan began his career with the center in 2008 as a senior hurricane specialist, following a year as the science and operations officer for the Weather Prediction Center.

Brennan has been the branch chief of the hurricane specialist unit since 2018.

“The NHC director is one of the most visible and important jobs in the nation, and Mike possesses the right combination of experience, leadership and personal traits to prepare and guide us through major storms,” said Dr. Rick Spinrad, NOAA administrator, said in a statement. “Alongside our trusted and dedicated team at NHC, Mike will continue to leverage vital partnerships to provide the best forecasts and build resilience to the impacts of hurricanes in U.S. communities.”

He earned a bachelor’s in meteorology, and a master’s and doctorate in atmospheric science, all from North Carolina State University.

“I had the pleasure of working with Mike for four years at NHC, where I observed his steadfast dedication to the mission of saving lives and property,” Graham said. “Mike is an innovator who has built incredible relationships across the agency and with our emergency management and media partners, and I look forward to the great things ahead at NHC under his leadership.”

Graham extended his gratitude to Rhome “for his steady leadership as the acting NHC director through 14 named storms of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, including the newly retired hurricanes Ian and Fiona.”

Within the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Hurricane Center is a division of NOAA and the National Weather Service’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction. The National Hurricane Center is co-located with the National Weather Service Miami-South Florida forecast office on the campus of Florida International University.

As hurricane season nears, families and communities are urged to take precautions and prepare for extreme weather before it hits.

Hurricane season is June 1 through Nov. 30, but federal agency leaders are reminding folks now about the importance of hurricane preparedness.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials spoke Monday during a media briefing from this year’s National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. NOAA National Hurricane Center Acting Director Jamie Rhome said that the conference kicks off the hurricane season “in a sprint, one where we’re moving about the country trying to raise awareness and get people to take action before — keyword: before — a hurricane threatens.”

He’s been to many communities after storms, he said, and observed that people who prepare before a hurricane fair the best. It’s those that wait to the last minute to react that often suffer the worst of its impacts, especially as “storms rapidly intensify right on our doorstep.”

Water is the primary indicator to storm fatalities, sometimes weeks after the storm hits, Rhome continued.

“We have to do a better job messaging that even if you survive that first thrust, that first wave, you’ve got to be prepared for, in some cases, weeks without power and often the oppressive heat that comes with it,” Rhome said. His organization needs to work on getting the message out that mortality is increasingly happening at the back end of the storm and in some cases lasts many, many weeks, he added.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said that the agency is going to focus on all of the risks of hurricanes, including water, which she added is a significant risk. While hurricanes in the past may have been primarily a wind event, that doesn’t mean that will be the experience this year.

Criswell said that insurance is the first and best resource that families and individuals have to help get them on the road to recovery after a severe weather event happens, regardless of the type of disaster.

FEMA works with states when storm threats have yet to make landfall and issue emergency declarations to ensure all potential resources are positioned to assist with immediate response once it’s safe to do so, Criswell said. “We’re taking the actions today to make sure that we are ready for what the potential impacts might be going into this hurricane season.”

Criswell said she wants FEMA to focus on helping communities, use available tools to make more timely decisions to get resources to the most hard hit communities faster and offering “culturally competent messaging ahead of the storms, ahead of hurricane season, so we can make sure that we’re targeting audiences and recognize that each community is different.”

Disaster Preparation resources

• National Hurricane Preparedness Week April 30-May 6.
• ReadyNC.gov.
• N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
• N.C. Department of Environmental Quality
• FEMA Preparedness Community.
• NOAA National Hurricane Preparedness.
• National Hurricane Center.

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council meets in-person Jan. 26 in Newport News, Virginia.

The public is invited to attend the meeting 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at The Mariners’ Museum and Park, 100 Museum Drive.

An agenda is available for download from the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary website, monitor.noaa.gov.

The advisory council was established in 2005 to assure continuous public participation in the management of the sanctuary and to provide advice to the sanctuary superintendent on cultural resource protection, critical issues involving sanctuary use or resources, sanctuary research objectives, and education and outreach programs. The council represents a variety of local user groups, the public and state and federal government agencies.

Managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1975 to protect the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, which sank in 1862 during a storm 16 miles off Cape Hatteras.

Of 36 proposed projects to reopen migratory fish passages, two that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recommended for funding are in North Carolina.

NOAA Fisheries announced Wednesday its recommendations for nearly $105 million in funding for the new fish passage projects under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The purpose is to reopen migratory pathways, restore access to healthy habitat for fish and build tribal capacity to participate in developing and implementing fish passage projects.

The habitat projects for migratory fish across the country employs fish passage restoration, engineering and design, future project development, and building the capacity among partners to design projects and manage multifaceted restoration efforts, officials said.

In North Carolina, American Rivers was recommended for $4.23 million in the first year, up to total $7.14 million over three years, to restore priority habitat in the Cape Fear watershed for several migratory fish species, including American shad, river herring, striped bass, Atlantic sturgeon and American eel. Three dams upstream of a series of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ locks and dams are to be removed, and pre-removal activities will be initiated for two additional dams.

The Nature Conservancy has been recommended for $3.26 million to replace six undersized culverts with bridges and remove two earthen barriers within the floodplain of the lower Roanoke River. Removal of these eight barriers will benefit migratory species such as blueback herring. Officials also noted that it will provide community benefits by reducing flooding and improving water quality in the watershed.

More than $26.3 million in funding is recommended for 15 projects to be led by tribal applicants for fish passage and to build tribal organizational capacity. In addition, nearly two-thirds of the remaining projects will directly involve tribes and are aligned with tribal priorities, officials said.

Application approval and obligation of funds are not final at this point in the selection process. Each application is being “recommended” for funding. This announcement is not an authorization to start the project and is not a guarantee of funding, officials continued.

Fish passage is about improving access for fish to the habitats they need or reconnecting access to historic habitat blocked by humans. When fish cannot access their habitat, they cannot rear, reproduce and grow their populations, resulting in population declines. NOAA said it is working to reopen these migratory pathways, restoring access to healthy habitat for fish.

The funding will help reopen migratory pathways and reconnect fish with their historic habitat, which is a critical step towards rebuilding fisheries back to healthy levels, NOAA said.

NOAA Fisheries updated existing analyses and reports on impacts of offshore wind development on commercial and recreational fisheries off the Atlantic coast.

Officials said the updates are to help the public better understand the impacts of offshore wind development.

The updates announced Wednesday complement previously developed analyses and include more recent updated fishing operations data, project areas, and data outputs for existing lease areas and approved project areas.

Updates include adding fishery data for 2020 and 2021 to both commercial and party/charter impact summaries for each lease area, noting that 2020 fishing operations were affected by the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic and may not be reflective of future fishing operations.

Individual lease areas were updated to reflect the most recent areas under consideration as reported by BOEM’s GIS website. Staff also added new tables that summarize fishery landings and revenue by landing port and state, and the number of business entities fishing within the boundaries of each project.

“All of these updates, except for the number of business entities, are also integrated into the data query tool, which enables users to organize the data to meet their individual needs,” officials said. “Together, these updates provide the latest information available to help estimate the potential impacts of offshore energy leases and approved projects on regional commercial and party/charter fisheries and associated fishing communities.” 

The socioeconomic impact reports and data query tool are both available online.

Officials said the site will be updated every June, unless otherwise noted.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded N.C. Aquariums part of a $750,000 grant to build its sustainable aquaculture program, which aims to sustainably breed saltwater fish species and raise awareness of aquaculture.

N.C. Aquariums will use the funding at the Fort Fisher, Pine Knoll Shores and Roanoke Island locations to increase staffing on their animal care teams and expand breeding programs. The aquariums will work with North Carolina Sea Grant to engage visitors and their communities.

Aquaculture is the breeding and rearing of fish, shellfish, and other organisms.

“The North Carolina Aquariums, in their coastal locations, have a wonderful opportunity to share this information with not only visitors, but to engage the local fishing community,” said N.C. Aquarium Division Director Maylon White said in a statement. “This type of project allows us to contribute to a developing sustainability program that reaches beyond our walls.”

Teams will be working over the next three years with seven other facilities across the country, in collaboration with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, to build a network of public aquariums to advance aquaculture strategies. These facilities are New England Aquarium, Roger Williams University, Aquarium of the Pacific, John G. Shedd Aquarium, National Aquarium, and University of Massachusetts Boston.

For commercially valuable species, aquaculture can reduce pressure on wild populations. For public aquariums, aquaculture provides a sustainable way to provide animals for their habitats. It also presents a unique way to engage the public about sustainable seafood choices, according to the aquarium.

“Our Aquarium team is committed to sustainably breeding species that are of value to public aquariums and commercial fisheries,” Hap Fatzinger, Fort Fisher’s director, said in a statement. “This opportunity to put more resources into the aquaculture programs at the North Carolina Aquariums, especially in raising public awareness, is important to our mission to inspire appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments.”

Across the institutions, 14 marine finfish species will be part of this sustainable breeding program.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather experts still expect the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season to have above-normal activity.

NOAA released Thursday its annual mid-season update to the 2022 outlook issued in May by the Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service.

Since the May report, which covers the six-month hurricane season that began June 1 and ends Nov. 30, forecasters have slightly decreased the likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season from 65% to a 60% chance. Meanwhile, the likelihood of near-normal activity has risen to 30% and the chances remain at 10% for a below-normal season. 

NOAA’s update to the 2022 outlook calls for 14-20 named storms, which have winds of 39 mph or greater. Six to 10 of those named storms could become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or greater. Of those, three to five could become major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or greater. NOAA provides these ranges with a 70% confidence. 

“We’re just getting into the peak months of August through October for hurricane development, and we anticipate that more storms are on the way,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, in a statement.

Erik Heden, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service forecast office for Morehead City, told Coastal Review Monday that the peak of hurricane season is not until around Sept. 10.

“Typically the season really doesn’t get going until later in August through October. It’s too early to let our guard down, we aren’t even close to the typical peak yet,” he said. “Lastly, it only takes one storm to make a difference in your lives. Take this quiet time in the season to finish your hurricane kit and plan.”

He recommended visiting www.weather.gov/MHX/hurricaneprep for help with a hurricane kit and plan.

Heden said his office is offering more hurricane talks ahead, including one at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Emerald Isle board meeting room, 7500 Emerald Drive, and 6 p.m. Aug. 16 in North Topsail Beach Town Hall, 2008 Loggerhead Court. Sign up to virtually attend the North Topsail Beach talk. Two talks are planned for later this month on the Outer Banks, as well.

“Communities and families should prepare now for the remainder of what is still expected to be an active hurricane season,” said Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service. “Ensure that you are ready to take action if a hurricane threatens your area by developing an evacuation plan and gathering hurricane supplies now, before a storm is bearing down on your community.”

So far, the season has seen three named storms and no hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin. An average hurricane season produces 14 named storms, of which seven become hurricanes, including three major hurricanes.

Related: 2022 Atlantic hurricane season to be above average: NOAA

The outlook is for overall seasonal activity, and is not a landfall forecast. Landfalls are largely governed by short-term weather patterns that are currently only predictable within about one week of a storm potentially reaching a coastline, according to NOAA.

“I urge everyone to remain vigilant as we enter the peak months of hurricane season,” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “The experts at NOAA will continue to provide the science, data and services needed to help communities become hurricane resilient and climate-ready for the remainder of hurricane season and beyond.”

There are several atmospheric and oceanic conditions that still favor an active hurricane season. This includes La Niña conditions, which are favored to remain in place for the rest of 2022 and could allow the ongoing high-activity era conditions to dominate, or slightly enhance hurricane activity. In addition to a continued La Niña, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, an active west African Monsoon and likely above-normal Atlantic sea-surface temperatures set the stage for an active hurricane season and are reflective of the ongoing high-activity era for Atlantic hurricanes.

NOAA’s hurricane science and forecasting information is available at Hurricane Season Media Resource Guide and the National Hurricane Center provides the latest on tropical storm and hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

“Although it has been a relatively slow start to hurricane season, with no major storms developing in the Atlantic, this is not unusual  and we therefore cannot afford to let our guard down,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. She recommends being proactive by downloading the FEMA app and visiting Ready.gov or Listo.gov for preparedness tips. “And most importantly, make sure you understand your local risk and follow directions from your state and local officials.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking for public comment on proposed changes that would expand mandatory speed restrictions for vessels to reduce the likelihood of collisions with north Atlantic right whales.

Ship collisions are a leading cause of North Atlantic right whale injury and death.

The proposed changes would expand mandatory speed restrictions of 10 knots or less to include most vessels 35 to 65 feet in length and broaden the areas and timing of seasonal speed restriction zones along the East Coast.

Comments on the changes are due by Sept. 30, and webinars have been scheduled in August to detail the proposed changes and answer questions. The webinars are set for 2-3 p.m. Aug. 10, 6-7:30 p.m. Aug. 16, and 6-7:30 p.m. Aug. 24. Register and provide written questions in advance.

“Collisions with vessels continue to impede North Atlantic right whale recovery. This proposed action is necessary to stabilize the ongoing right whale population decline, in combination with other efforts to address right whale entanglement and vessel strikes in the U.S. and Canada,” said NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator Janet Coit in a statement.

Conservation group Oceana applauded the move, but said the proposed rule could go even further by removing the exemptions for federal vessels along with a commitment from NOAA to effectively enforce the regulations.

“There is a glimmer of hope for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales today — the government is proposing strong new measures to reduce the deadly threat of vessel strikes. Today’s proposed rule shows that the National Marine Fisheries Service is serious about addressing a top threat to North Atlantic right whales, which are constantly at risk from speeding vessels,” said Gib Brogan, campaign director at Oceana, in a statement. “It’s no secret that speeding vessels are rampant throughout North Atlantic right whales’ migration route, all along the East Coast. Oceana welcomes the proposed rule and urges the agency to remove dangerous exemptions, and commit to enforcing the rule to make waters safer for North Atlantic right whales.”

Oceana has an online tool for tracking vessel speeds in active speed zones called Ship Speed Watch.

NOAA said the proposed changes to the current speed rule address two key problems impacting right whale recovery, misalignment between areas and times of high vessel strike risk and current Seasonal Management Areas spatial and temporal bounds and the lack of mandatory speed restriction on vessels between 35 and 65 feet in length that present a lethal threat to right whales.

During the past two and a half years, NOAA Fisheries has documented four lethal (death and serious injury) right whale vessel strikes in U.S. waters, a problem that is impeding the species’ recovery and contributing to the population’s decline.

North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction with fewer than 350 individuals and fewer than 100 reproductively active females remaining. There have been 51 right whale serious injuries and deaths in U.S. and Canadian waters since 2017. Climate-related impacts and prey availability have also contributed to the population’s reduced fitness.

However, vessel strikes and entanglements continue to drive the population’s decline and are the primary cause of serious injuries and mortalities, according to NOAA. North Atlantic right whales are especially vulnerable to vessel strikes due to their coastal distribution and frequent occurrence at near-surface depths. This is particularly true for females with calves.

Information on the rule and how comments may be submitted electronically at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/action/amendments-north-atlantic-right-whale-vessel-strike-reduction-rule.

The 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins next week, is predicted to have above-average activity, with a likely range of 14 to 21 named storms.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Rick Spinrad announced the initial outlook Tuesday during a news conference at New York City Emergency Management Department in Brooklyn, New York. Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a division of the National Weather Service, made the prediction for the season, June 1 to Nov. 30.

Spinrad said the 2022 prediction will make the seventh consecutive year of an above-normal season. “Specifically, there’s a 65% chance of an above-normal season, a 25% chance of a near-normal season, a 10% chance of below-normal season.”

Averages for the Atlantic hurricane season are 14 named storms and seven hurricanes. Of those, the average for major hurricanes at a Category 3, 4 or 5, is three. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center uses 1991 to 2020 as the 30-year period of record to determine averages.

For the range of storms expected, Spinrad explained that forecasters call for a 70% probability of 14 to 21 named storms, with top winds of at least 39 miles per hour. Of these, six to 10 will become hurricanes with top winds of at least 74 miles per hour, and of those, three to six major hurricanes will be categories 3, 4 or 5 with top winds of at least 111 miles per hour.

NOAA’s outlook is for overall seasonal activity and is not a landfall forecast. The Climate Prediction Center will give an update in early August before peak season, officials said.

NOAA officials attribute the increase in activity to many factors, such as the ongoing La Niña. La Niña is the cool phase of the Niño-Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, cycle. ENSO is a a three-phase recurring climate pattern that has a strong influence on weather across the United States. The other two phases are neutral and El Niño, the warm phase that suppresses hurricane activity in the Atlantic. La Niña enhances it.   

Other factors officials point to are warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon, which supports stronger African Easterly Waves that seed many of the strongest and longest lived hurricanes during most seasons.

“The way in which climate change impacts the strength and frequency of tropical cyclones is a continuous area of study for NOAA scientists,” according to NOAA.

Rick Luettich, director of the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences based in Morehead City and a coastal physical oceanographer, told Coastal Review Tuesday that he thinks this forecast by NOAA is not a surprise at all. “And I think we have to expect that it’s likely to hold true.”

While the range of 14 to 21 storms is broad, Luettich thinks there will be at least the 14 storms “and whether or not we stop at 21 remains to be seen. But it looks like we’ll get through most of the alphabet again this year.”

He noted that NOAA’s predictions are not substantially different from those announced a few months ago by Colorado State University researchers, who predicted 19 named storms this year. Of those, nine are predicted to become hurricanes with four to reach major hurricane strength at sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater. North Carolina State University researchers also predicted in April a similar amount of 17 to 21 named storms for this year.

Luettich explained that the main thing that keeps storms, which pull heat from the ocean, from fully forming is wind shear, or the variation in wind from the surface up into the atmosphere.

“If there’s a strong difference between the winds high aloft and the winds closer to the surface then that difference tends to stretch and pull and tear apart the storms,” he said. If the wind shear is weak then there’s not much to keep the storm from forming.

“Wind shear tends to be much stronger in years when we have an El Niño,” Luettich said, but this year looks to be a moderate La Niña new year.

The ENSO cycle most directly impacts whether or not there are a large number of storms, small number or somewhere in between. “The combination of a warm ocean and limited or little wind shear drives the large numbers of storms in the predictions.”

The La Niña/El Niño cycle is what allows storms to get fully going and manifest or is what tears them apart. “And from year to year, it changes,” he added.

He did point out that being in the third consecutive year of a La Niña cycle is unusual. Between plenty of energy in the ocean and weak wind shear, this is likely to be another year of substantial and strong storms.

As the storm predictions relate to climate change, “if you look at the long-term temperature records you can see in both the atmosphere and the ocean there is a steady increase in the Earth’s temperature,” he said.

Climate change is causing energy in the ocean to increase and more precipitation, leading to storms traveling slower and allowing more time for rainfall in an area. However, it’s a little less clear how the ENSO cycle is affected by climate change.

“There are suggestions that in a warming climate the La Niñas and El Niños may be stronger when they occur, but I’m not aware that there’s a really good consensus or understanding of whether they’re likely to be more frequent,” he said, adding it’s just not clear how climate change will affect the ENSO cycle.

On the North Carolina coast

Erik Heden, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in the Newport/Morehead City area, explained in an interview Tuesday that his office doesn’t focus on NOAA’s initial outlook during any given year because “it doesn’t tell us whether or not our area will be impacted by storms. We try to shift the focus toward preparation each and every year since we live in an area that is vulnerable.”

He urges residents and visitors that if there is a hurricane forecast that impacts their area, don’t focus on the category of the storm.

“The category is only related to wind speed. It says nothing about how much rain will fall, how long the storm will remain over us, how large the storm is,” he said. “Remember Hurricane Florence was ‘only’ a category 1 storm when it made landfall. Cyclones have multiple threats that include storm surge, flooding, rip currents, tornadoes and wind.”

Heden urges residents and visitors to follow official resources such as the weather office for your area or the National Hurricane Center. If your area is forecast to be near, not just in, the forecast cone, or cone of uncertainty, you should be preparing for the storm.

“The forecast cone only shows the most likely path for just the center of the storm.  A storm is not a dot on the map and impacts occur well away from the center,” he said. For example, the center of Florence in 2018 hit near Wilmington, “but we all saw major impacts from the storm.”

Heden explained that preparation has three steps. 

The first is to determine your risk, based on where you live, from all five tropical cyclone threats: storm surge, flooding, rip currents, winds and tornadoes. Second, have a hurricane plan and determine where you will evacuate if necessary. Don’t forget your pets.

Third, make a hurricane kit. The kit should contain enough food, water and medicine to last at least three days, but ideally up to a week. If cost is a concern, spread it out and buy a few items each shopping trip.

Heden said his office is hosting a series of community forums on hurricanes, the first of which will be held 5-8 p.m. June 14 at Holly Ridge Community Center, 404 Sound Road, Holly Ridge. The next forum will be held 10 a.m. to noon June 21 in Pine Knoll Shores town hall. Two will be offered in late July on the Outer Banks. Locations will be announced.

State urges residents prepare now

Keith Acree, communications officer with North Carolina Emergency Management, told Coastal Review Tuesday that the state and local governments make sure they are prepared for each hurricane season.

“North Carolina Emergency Management recently hosted the statewide hurricane exercise, where the State Emergency Response Team and its federal, state, local government and private-sector partners practiced response coordination and communications,” he said. “Helicopter, boat and land search and rescue teams recently held large scale exercises at the coast and in the mountains, in advance of hurricane season.”

Related: NCDOT prepares for this year’s hurricane season

Acree said residents of North Carolina’s coastal counties should learn if they’re in a predetermined evacuation zone by visiting KnowYourZone.nc.gov. “Remember your zone and listen for it when evacuations are ordered.”

He said residents should prepare by having an emergency kit with basic supplies included and have a plan to stay with family or friends, or at a hotel if you need to evacuate. 

“A public shelter should be your last resort, not a primary evacuation option. Offer your home to family or friends as a safe place if they need to evacuate, and you don’t,” he said.

Acree also recommends having multiple ways to receive weather alerts, watches and warnings. Install a weather alert app on your cell phone, or get NOAA Weather Alert Radio for your home.

Lastly, remember that hurricanes and tropical storms can affect the entire state.

Residents in Haywood and surrounding counties in Western North Carolina are still recovering from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred, a Gulf Coast storm that moved across the state’s mountains last year, causing catastrophic floods along the Pigeon River killing six people, he explained.

“It only takes one storm that strikes your community to make a really bad hurricane season for you,” Acree said. “Now is the time for North Carolinians to prepare for hurricane season.”

NOAA Fisheries is asking for public comment until Aug. 19 and will host four webinars on its first-ever draft Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy.

The strategy is to provide guidance for incorporating and prioritizing equity and environmental justice in ongoing and future activities in support of NOAA Fisheries’ mission. NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, is an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the Department of Commerce.

“NOAA Fisheries is focused on serving all communities more equitably and effectively, and this strategy will provide the framework to do just that,” said Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries and NOAA’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, in a statement.

“We are committed to advancing equity and environmental justice, including equal treatment, opportunities, and environmental benefits for all people and communities, while building on continuing efforts and partnerships with underserved and underrepresented communities,” she added.

In addition to written comments, which will be accepted until Aug. 19, comments will be accepted during the following scheduled webinars:

• Register for the 4 p.m. May 24 webinar
• Register for the 6 p.m. June 21 webinar
• Register for the 7 p.m. June 30 webinar
• Register for the 4 p.m. July 19 webinar

Through this call for public comment, officials seek help identifying the underserved communities and how to to reduce barriers to underserved communities. The agency is also asking for information on how to better incorporate equity and environmental justice into daily activities, and how to improve equity in agency programs and policies now and in the future. Feedback on evaluating whether the draft recommendations for action are on target is also requested.

The comments provided will inform NOAA Fisheries’ final strategy.

“While we are making progress in addressing equity and environmental justice, we know that we have much more work to do to embed EEJ into our day-to-day efforts,” said NOAA Fisheries Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, Sam Rauch, who also convened and led the agency’s EEJ Working Group. “By focusing on these goals and objectives we will provide more equitable stewardship of the nation’s ocean resources and their habitat.”

To achieve the agency’s initial equity and environmental justice goals, each of the agency’s national program offices and geographic regions will incorporate EEJ into a step-down implementation plan. These plans will be specific and responsive to the needs of underserved communities and allows for the input of underserved communities, according to NOAA Fisheries.

CAPE HATTERAS — This year is the 50th anniversary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Sanctuary Systems, an occasion that by definition makes the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary extra special because it was the very first one.

The problem is that most Americans may be thinking: “What’s a marine sanctuary system?” And even if the public is aware that they exist, do they understand their purpose?

“Not nearly enough,” John Armor, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, said in a recent interview. “We have a lot of work to do on that.”

Next week, the public can see for themselves the value a sanctuary offers. From Sunday, May 15, through Wednesday, May 25, people will have a golden opportunity to watch groundbreaking science livestreamed during a new expedition at the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary.

According to a NOAA press release, a team of scientists and divers working off NOAA Ship Nancy Foster as a research platform will employ state-of-the-art technologies, including underwater drones, to explore the Monitor Civil War ironclad and other shipwrecks in the surrounding area as part of a study on their value as fish reefs.

Described by NOAA on its website as a “network of underwater parks,” the sanctuary system totals more than 620,000 square miles and includes 15 national marine sanctuaries on Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts, American Samoa and the Great Lakes, as well as the Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments.

The National Marine Sanctuary System turns 50 on Oct. 23.

“I think the 50th anniversary is really an opportunity for us to sort of expand the tent and bring a lot more awareness to and frankly appreciation for them and love of the National Marine Sanctuaries system more broadly,” Armor said.

Armor, who has been at the helm since 2016, said that current efforts are focused on connecting local communities more to the sanctuary’s work. Sanctuaries also need to be more accessible, including engagement with tribal and indigenous communities, he said. And its workforce needs to be more diverse.

When the sanctuary system was created in 1972 with passage of The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, it was one of a series of landmark coastal protection bills enacted around that time, which also included the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the Clean Water Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments, according to NOAA’s online history of the system.

But it took three years for the first sanctuary to come to fruition, and it was fortuitous timing that the Monitor was discovered about 20 miles off Cape Hatteras by Duke University researchers the year after the system was created.

A centerpiece

From the moment the USS Monitor steamed into Hampton Roads in early 1862, the Union Navy’s first ironclad dazzled as a wartime engineering phenomenon. Its nearly four-hour battle less than two months later in a Norfolk harbor with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia ultimately came to a draw but sealed its heroic legacy.

Even after the famed battleship and its 16 officers and crew went down that same year during a vicious New Year’s Eve gale, the Monitor remained a centerpiece of scientific and cultural interest.

Situated in the notorious “Graveyard of the Atlantic” — feared by mariners for its shifting, shallow shoals — the sunken vessel sits on the ocean floor 230 feet deep in a column of water a nautical mile in diameter. The site was designated as the nation’s first marine sanctuary Jan. 30, 1975.

Thousands of artifacts have been recovered from the Monitor, most of which are housed at The Mariners Museum in Newport News, Virginia. In 2001, NOAA, the U.S. Navy and The Mariners Museum, among others, partnered in five expeditions to retrieve numerous artifacts, including its steam engine and a section of the hull. The next year, the Monitor’s revolving turret was brought up from the ocean floor in a 42-day expedition. 

When the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, part of the North Carolina Maritime Museum system, completes its exhibit installation in the coming months, it anticipates including artifacts from the Monitor.

The original impetus for the Hatteras museum was spurred by the discovery of the Monitor wreck, but planning and funding difficulties delayed the project until long after the artifacts had gone to Virginia.

In 2008, the Monitor Sanctuary proposed expanding its parameters to include some sunken war wrecks in the vicinity, including World War II U-boats. But after a series of public meetings in which local divers and fishers expressed concerns about increased restrictions, the proposed plan was tabled.

NOAA, meanwhile, says that Navy regulations provide protections for the sunken vessels.

But Armor said that the expansion plan could be restarted, with more public input. Currently, NOAA is working to establish new sanctuaries off Hawaii and the south-central coast of California.

Once those planning processes are finalized, which could happen within 18 months or so, then the proposed expansion of the Monitor Sanctuary could potentially be reconsidered, he said.

Open process

Armor said he understands community suspicion or skepticism about restrictions, but he assured that each sanctuary has its own specific plan, with its own set of regulations and permitted activities that are developed by, with and for the community.

“That’s the thing that we love about the sanctuary process, is it is so open and collaborative,” he said. “We really go a long ways to making sure that we’re engaging all sectors of potentially affected communities in the decision and really benefit from guidance and perspective that communities have to offer. So, there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to any of these topics that would come from the national office.”

Enforcement, also, is done on a site-by-site basis by the NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, which works closely with the Coast Guard and state wildlife agencies.

While activities such as diving and fishing are permitted in most areas of marine sanctuaries, Armor said, they also provide refuge to fish and other sea life, foster resilience and allow for almost real-time scientific monitoring to protect habitat and water quality.

And marine sanctuaries help in addressing an issue, he said, “that can be too big for people to even wrap their minds around.”

“I think the impacts of climate change and how they’re being felt in communities across the country has really highlighted the value that National Marine Sanctuaries can bring to the problem,” he said. “And so, sanctuaries and other protected areas on land and in the ocean help us focus our attention and help us focus our messaging on what we can do as average citizens to help address these challenges.”

Armor said that NOAA is planning a series of events leading up to the October anniversary celebration, which are detailed on a newly updated website.

It’s all part of getting the word out to the public, so they can celebrate what most didn’t even know they had. 

“And again, using the 50th anniversary not to look backwards and pat ourselves on the back for all the great things we’ve done,” he said, “but to challenge ourselves and to look forward to how we can do better down the road.”

NOAA Fisheries is seeking feedback on seven draft Climate Regional Actions Plans, including one that addresses North Carolina, on how to make fisheries and protected resources more resilient to climate change.

NOAA Fisheries, also known as the National Marine Fisheries Service, is an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, within the Department of Commerce. 

Developed by NOAA Fisheries Science Centers and Regional Offices with input from many other sources, the plans “are part of our proactive approach to increase the resilience and adaptation of marine life and the people who depend on them,” officials said.

The draft plans are three-year, coordinated, cross-agency efforts to increase implementation of the NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy in the Northeast, Southeast, Pacific Islands, West Coast and Alaska regions. Public comment will be accepted until June 2 on the plans. Access the comment portal to submit comments.

“Our climate and oceans are changing — many areas around the world are experiencing changes in the distribution and abundance of marine resources associated with changing climate and ocean conditions,” Janet Coit, assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries, said in a statement. “Building on our existing efforts, the Regional Action Plans will help provide decision-makers with the information and tools they need to prepare for and respond to changing climate and ocean conditions.”

The Draft Southeast Regional Action Plan To Implement The NOAA Fisheries Climate Science Strategy In 2022 – 2024 includes the South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico/Caribbean Regional Action plan. The southeast United States continental shelf and its coastal region encompasses an area from Cape Hatteras to Key West, Florida.

Officials are interested in input on the clarity of the goals and activities, ways to strengthen the plans, and what additional goals and activities need to be addressed.

The proposed actions will help track changes, assess risks, provide early warnings, and evaluate management strategies for changing conditions in each region.

When it comes to hurricanes, it’s important to be prepared and know your risk.

That was the message federal officials delivered Wednesday during a press conference from the annual National Hurricane Conference taking place this week in Orlando, Florida.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham encouraged the public to prepare for more intense storms.

The conference is a national forum for federal, state and local officials to work together to improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in the United States and Caribbean and Pacific tropical islands.

Criswell explained that while the conference is an opportunity for emergency management professionals to share lessons learned from the past. More importantly, she said, it’s time to start thinking about what is going to be experienced in the future.

In recent years, hurricanes have intensified, giving emergency managers less time to warn their constituents to prepare. The storms are stronger, lasting longer at higher durations over land, impacting coastal communities and inland too. This is going to continue, she said.

Residents most need to understand their risk, she added.

“What is the risk in the area that you are at if you are on the coast or if you are inland? And then do you have a plan to protect your family against that risk? Do you know how you’re going to evacuate? Do you know where you’re going to go? Do you know how you’re going to communicate to your family members that live outside of the area so you can let them know that you’re safe,” Criswell said. And of course don’t forget pets. Make sure to have the same supplies you’d have for rest of your family.

Graham reiterated the need for a plan. “you can’t make your plan during the storm. You’ve got to do it early,” he said, because sometimes the timeline of a tropical storm reaching land is short. “have that plan ready to go, ready to implement.”

Criswell said that if relocating to a new area, learn what the risks are, such as hurricanes or tornadoes.

“Individuals need to be deliberate about that. You need to understand what your risk is and if you have not been in that situation before there are a lot of resources out there,” she said, and ready.gov has a wealth of information.

Graham added that if you don’t know what to do when a hurricane comes, then ask.

“If you don’t know, ask … know that risk,” he said. “Because being prepared is everything.”

Many don’t want to evacuate during a hurricane and that mentality is hard to change, Criswell said.

“I think that we get the most increase in the level of preparedness and communities immediately after a disaster,” she said, but the longer between storms, the more comfortable residents get with the idea that they can withstand the storm.

“It worries me because we are seeing right now these natural weather events that are getting more severe, they’re stronger, they’re lasting longer. They’re intensifying more rapidly. And so where in the past maybe communities and individuals would wait things out,” she said. “We as an emergency management profession and a community we have to continue to help people understand what these threats are. We need to provide the resources for them to learn about their threats as well.”

Graham pointed out the need to communicate. “You can have a perfect forecast, but it doesn’t do much good if it’s not understood and it’s not actionable.”

His office has different professionals, such as meteorologists and social scientists, to help communicate.

Criswell continued that there can’t be a one-size-fits-all type of messaging. For the first time last year, FEMA created a culturally specific preparedness campaign for preparedness month focusing on the Hispanic community.

Graham said what worries him sometimes are areas that historically have a lot of strong storms and just because it didn’t happen in the last couple of years doesn’t mean it can’t happen this year. So the complacency part of it is worries me.”

Criswell echoed Graham, saying it’s the complacency that really worries her.

“I worry about those communities and our ability again — because of the rapid intensification of these storms — our ability to get messaging out to those communities so they can make timely decisions to either evacuate or stay in place to protect their families,” she said. “We’ve got to be able to communicate to those individuals that aren’t necessarily taking it as serious as they could or should” because disasters don’t discriminate.

“We all have to take it seriously. Storms are getting worse. They’re getting worse. They’re causing more destruction. They are intensifying more rapidly. We’re going to have less time to warn people so they can take appropriate measures. We’ll have to take it serious,” she said.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is asking the public for input on proposed measures to reduce sea turtle bycatch.

Fisheries bycatch is the primary threat to endangered and threatened sea turtles in the Greater Atlantic Region and occurs at high levels in several regional trawl fisheries, according to the service, which is a department of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and is also known as NOAA Fisheries.

NOAA Fisheries said it will host virtual webinars in the coming weeks to provide an overview of sea turtle bycatch and gear research in trawl fisheries in the greater Atlantic region, specifically in the Atlantic croaker, longfin squid and summer flounder fisheries. There will be a short presentation followed by an opportunity for attendees to provide input and comments.

The webinars, which are open to all interested parties to gather input and information to inform any future measures, are scheduled for the following days:

• Croaker fisheries: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 16. Register.
• Longfin squid fisheries: 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 1. Register.
• Summer flounder fisheries: 6:30-8:30 p.m. March 14. Register.

Sea Turtle Recovery Coordinator Carrie Upite told Coastal Review that NOAA Fisheries is not at the proposed rule stage yet and does not have an exact geographical area, rather this is one of the items they would like feedback.

“That said, one of the fisheries under consideration for bycatch reduction measures is the Atlantic croaker fishery, which operates off North Carolina. The summer flounder and longfin squid fisheries may occur as far south as North Carolina as well,” she said. “So yes, the measures under consideration include North Carolina.”

Given the results of previous research, officials announced that the following are being considered: 

1. Requiring turtle excluder devices, or TEDs, with a large escape opening in trawls that target Atlantic croaker, weakfish, and longfin squid to reduce injury and mortality resulting from accidental capture in these fisheries.
2. Moving the current northern boundary of the TED requirements in the summer flounder fishery, or the Summer Flounder Fishery-Sea Turtle Protection Area, to a point farther north to more comprehensively address capture in this fishery.
3. Amending the TED requirements for the summer flounder fishery to require a larger escape opening to allow the release of larger hard-shelled and leatherback sea turtle. 
4. Adding an option requiring limited tow durations, if feasible and enforceable, in lieu of TEDs in these fisheries to provide flexibility to the fisheries.

Written comments can be submitted to nmfs.gar.turtletrawl@noaa.gov by May 31 or the public can call 978- 281-9276 either from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 4 or noon to 6 p.m. March 22. 

NOAA Fisheries has been evaluating, researching and addressing bycatch of sea turtles in trawl gear used in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean since the late 1980s. The sea turtle bycatch in trawl fisheries website provides more background information, descriptions of TED designs, research reports, measures under consideration, the type of information needed from the public, and how to comment and participate in public webinars.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, which is also known as NOAA Fisheries and works to advance and export sustainable management practices internationally, is celebrating National Seafood Month.

The United States is recognized as a global leader in sustainable seafood for both wild-caught and farmed species because U.S. fishermen and fish farmers operate under some of the most robust and transparent environmental standards in the world, agency officials announced.

Seafood is good for human health, the economy and the environment, according to NOAA Fisheries.

The seafood industry supported 1.2 million jobs and added $69.2 billion to the gross domestic product in 2017.

Studies show that regular seafood consumption has beneficial impacts on blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke. Follow these tips to up your seafood intake, learn what’s locally caught or expand your horizons to discover new recipes. NOAA Fisheries also recommends incorporating local seafood into your next tailgate party or to shake up your holiday menus.

Fish, shellfish, and marine algae are renewable resources, or can reproduce and replenish their populations naturally, meaning fish can be harvested sustainably within certain limits without depleting populations. Learn more about sustainable seafood.

Visit FishWatch, the nation’s seafood database on sustainable seafood, to get up-to-date information on the science, status and management of U.S. seafood and well as recipes.

If you spot a stranded or entangled leatherback, loggerhead, green or Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sea Turtle Stranding and Disentanglement Network for help.

The network is a team of trained volunteers who respond to sea turtles that have accidentally become entangled in active or discarded fixed fishing gear and other materials.

When spotting a stranded, entangled or dead sea turtle, call the network hotline at 866-755-6622 or, if out of cell phone range, call the U.S. Coast Guard on channel 16.

The team includes animal care specialists, researchers and veterinarians with years of experience disentangling and treating injuries to sea turtles, who will evaluate the animal and determine the best course of action.

After reporting a turtle in distress, officials ask that you keep the animal in sight from a safe distance and wait for responders to arrive. They also discourage those without training and experience to disentangle the turtles.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries is asking for input on proposed modifications to the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan, which is aimed to reduce risk to whales from U.S. commercial fisheries.

The modifications are Phase 2 of the agency’s efforts to lessen the incidental mortality and serious injury to North Atlantic right whales, fin whales and humpback whales in U.S. East Coast gillnet, Atlantic mixed species trap and pot, and Mid-Atlantic lobster and Jonah crab trap and pot fisheries to meet the goals of the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.

Phase 1 addresses the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab trap and pot fishery, and is currently in review at the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Officials expect it to be finalized shortly. The Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan page will be updated and additional background information will be added in the coming weeks.

There are several virtual meetings planned for the public to provide input and suggest ideas for Phase 2. The public can also participate by calling in by phone on certain days or sending written comments by email. The scoping period ends Oct. 21.

Scoping meetings will be held 6:30-8:30 p.m. via webinar. Days are designated for areas and gear types, though anyone is welcome to attend any meeting and may submit input on any region or gear types. Meetings will be recorded. To register for a webinar, visit the events page. Find out more about scoping.

• Thursday, Sept. 9: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and northern North Carolina trap and pot fisheries.
• Tuesday, Sept. 14: Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey trap and pot fisheries.
• Tuesday, Sept. 21: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island trap and pot fisheries.
• Thursday, Sept. 23: Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey Gillnet fisheries.
• Tuesday, Oct. 5: Southern North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida trap and pot fisheries and gillnet fisheries.
• Tuesday, Oct. 12: Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and Northern North Carolina gillnet fisheries.
• Thursday, Oct. 14: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island Gillnet fisheries.

To speak to someone at the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office call 978-282-8479 from noon to 6 p.m. Oct. 1, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 4 or 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 12. The phone call may be recorded. If the phone line is busy, please leave a voicemail. The phone line will not be operational outside of these days and hours. 

Submit written input by Oct. 21 to nmfs.gar.ALWTRT2021@noaa.gov.

Andy Strelcheck will begin his new role Sunday as regional administrator for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Southeast Regional Office, which oversees North Carolina and is based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Strelcheck, who began his career with NOAA in 2004, succeeds retired Regional Administrator Dr. Roy Crabtree, who was in the position since 2003. Strelcheck has worked in marine fisheries research and management and managed protected resources and habitat conservation.

“I’m honored to make this announcement,” NOAA Fisheries’ Assistant Administrator Janet Coit said in a statement. “He’s done an incredible job acting in the position since the beginning of the year and we’re looking forward to him officially taking on this important role.” 

The Southeast region, which has responsibility for marine ecosystems from Texas to North Carolina and the U.S. Caribbean, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, works with three fishery management councils, state and federal partners, the fishing industry, and other stakeholders to manage and conserve federal commercial and recreational fisheries, marine mammals, endangered and threatened species, habitat and more, according to NOAA.

At the agency, Strelcheck previously oversaw data analyses and analytical work that supported fishery management council regulatory actions, led the development and operation of the commercial red snapper and grouper-tilefish individual fishing quota programs, valued at more than $50 million annually. He most recently served as deputy regional administrator. Before that, he served as a fishery plan coordinator and branch chief for the region’s commercial catch share programs in southeast regional office’s Sustainable Fisheries Division.

“Andy’s innovative strategies for fisheries management and strength in relationship building makes him the ideal candidate for this position,” said Sam Rauch, NOAA Fisheries’ Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs, in a statement. “His expertise lends itself to the management complexities of the region which includes three different ecosystems with hundreds of marine species — the Gulf of Mexico, South Atlantic, and Caribbean. In addition, the Southeast is home to some of the nation’s most threatened and endangered species, such as Rice’s whales, elkhorn corals, and smalltooth sawfish.” 

His graduate studies and many peer review publications focused on commercial and recreationally important finfish species in the southeast United States, including snappers and groupers.

“Andy is a dedicated, natural born leader who cares equally for our organization, marine natural resources, and the constituents we serve,” said Paul Doremus, NOAA Fisheries’ deputy assistant administrator of operations. “We are proud to see Andy advance his career with NOAA. He has a diverse skill set and he truly understands the importance of public service.” 

Strelcheck grew up in Atlanta and spent summers diving in Florida and the Caribbean. He earned a bachelor’s in biology from Florida State University and a master’s in marine science from the University of South Alabama. Before joining the agency in 2004, Strelcheck worked for three years as a fishery biologist for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

He resides in Safety Harbor, Florida, with his wife and two sons. In his free time he enjoys traveling with his family, coaching his sons’ baseball teams, and being on the water fishing, boating or kayaking.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is celebrating how photographs show the importance of a healthy habitat with a photo contest during Habitat Month this month.

NOAA Fisheries is asking for submissions by July 21 of outstanding coastal and marine habitat-related photos for the 2021 Habitat Month Photo Contest.

In addition to the photo contest, NOAA Fisheries is celebrating all things habitat in July with special articles on the website and information is to be shared on social media. There are no monetary awards for the contest.

This year’s will focus on “Connecting Habitat, Climate, and Communities.” 

NOAA Fisheries is accepting coastal and marine habitat photos until 11:59 p.m. July 21 in the following categories:

• Humans in Habitat: Photographs that show people enjoying or benefiting from healthy coastal and marine habitats.
• Habitat and Climate Change: Photographs that illustrate the effects of climate change on coastal and marine habitats.

The digital photo contest is open to photographers of all ages and experience levels, whether youth, amateur, or professional. NOAA employees and other government employees and affiliates including contractors, fellows, and interns are also eligible.

The contest began June 21. Entries submitted after July 21 will not be eligible. Winners will be announced and showcased on the NOAA Fisheries website during the week of July 26. Download the photo contest instructions and entry form to submit photographs.

NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is predicting a 60% chance that the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season will be above-normal.

While this year’s Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be above-normal, experts do not anticipate the historic level of storm activity seen in 2020.

Forecasters with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center predict a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season.

The Atlantic hurricane season is from June 1 through Nov. 30. 

This year a range of 13 to 20 named storms, which have winds of 39 mph or higher are expected. Of those, six to 10 could become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher. Three to five of these may become major hurricanes that fall under Category 3, 4 or 5 and have winds of 111 mph or higher. NOAA provides these ranges with a 70% confidence.

“Now is the time for communities along the coastline as well as inland to get prepared for the dangers that hurricanes can bring,” said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo in a statement. “The experts at NOAA are poised to deliver life-saving early warnings and forecasts to communities, which will also help minimize the economic impacts of storms.”

 Scientists at NOAA continue to study how climate change is impacting the strength and frequency of tropical cyclones.  

NOAA updated statistics used to determine when hurricane seasons are above-, near-, or below-average relative to the latest climate record. Based on this update, an average hurricane season produces 14 named storms, of which seven become hurricanes, three of which will be major hurricanes.

“Although NOAA scientists don’t expect this season to be as busy as last year, it only takes one storm to devastate a community,” said Ben Friedman, acting NOAA administrator. “The forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are well-prepared with significant upgrades to our computer models, emerging observation techniques, and the expertise to deliver the life-saving forecasts that we all depend on during this, and every, hurricane season.”

El Nino Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, conditions are currently in the neutral phase, with the possibility of the return of La Nina later in the hurricane season.

“ENSO-neutral and La Nina support the conditions associated with the ongoing high-activity era,” said Matthew Rosencrans, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, in a statement. “Predicted warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced west African monsoon will likely be factors in this year’s overall activity.” 

Last year’s record-breaking season serves as a reminder to all residents in coastal regions or areas prone to inland flooding from rainfall to be prepared for the 2021 hurricane season. 

“With hurricane season starting on June 1, now is the time to get ready and advance disaster resilience in our communities,” said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “Visit Ready.gov and Listo.gov to learn and take the steps to prepare yourself and others in your household. Download the FEMA app to sign-up for a variety of alerts and to access preparedness information. Purchase flood insurance to protect your greatest asset, your home. And, please encourage your neighbors, friends and coworkers to also get ready for the upcoming season.”   

NOAA will provide an update to the Atlantic outlook in early August, just prior to the peak of the season.

NOAA has made several updates to products and services that will improve hurricane forecasting during this season including upgrading the flagship Global Forecast System to improve hurricane genesis forecasting. Additionally, Global Positioning Satellite Radio Occultation data are now included in the Global Forecast System model, providing an additional source of observations to strengthen overall model performance.

Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are now using an upgraded probabilistic storm surge model, known as P-Surge, which includes improved tropical cyclone wind structure and storm size information that offers better predictability and accuracy. This upgrade extends the lead time of P-Surge forecast guidance from 48 to 60 hours in situations where there is high confidence. 

NOAA’s Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory will deploy its largest array of air and water uncrewed systems to gather data designed to help improve hurricane intensity forecasts and forecast models. New drones will be launched from NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft that will fly into the lower part of hurricanes, and in the ocean, saildrones, hurricane gliders, global drifters, and air-deployable technology, called ALAMO floats, will track various parts of the life cycle of tropical storms.

Reprinted from Outer Banks Voice

A new rip current forecasting model unveiled earlier this month by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is able to predict the hourly probability of rip currents along every mile of beach up to six days out — a significantly improved tool that could result in fewer rip current deaths.

Part of the National Weather Service’s Nearshore Wave Prediction System, the model relies on wave and water level data and incorporates more than a decade of data and observations from Kill Devil Hills Ocean Rescue and other area lifeguard agencies in order to make the hourly predictions.

“Before this model was implemented, our method for forecasting rip currents was a manual procedure, which only allowed for predicting rip currents for large sections of coastline on a daily or twice daily basis, a day or two into the future,” said NOAA Senior Scientist Greg Dusek, who led the effort to develop the model.

The model predicts the probability of the dangerous seaward currents on a scale of 0 to 100% and will help forecasters better identify for the public particular hours of the day when hazardous rip currents are most likely at a particular location. People who are planning to visit the beach over a weekend, for example, can find out what the rip current risk will be during their visit as early as six days before they arrive.

Currently, the United States Lifesaving Association estimates that rip currents account for more than 100 deaths per year as well as 80% of rescues made by beach lifeguards. Hazardous rip currents are particularly common along the Outer Banks, known for its rough ocean conditions.

“We’ve changed the messaging over the years, so people better understand what (rip currents) are and what do if you are caught in one. But we were still having the same number of drownings,” Dusek said, pointing to the importance of getting the predictions to people before they step on the sand.

The newly-launched model covers the coastal United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and Hawaii and improves accuracy over the existing approach by more than 50% in some cases, Dusek said. “(Forecasters) now have additional information they haven’t had in the past.”

Dusek said NOAA launched its efforts back in 2011 with the help Kill Devil Hill Ocean Rescue, which provided years of rip current observations and rescue data. That data, as well as that from other lifeguard services around the country was used to better understand rip currents as well as validate the model and improve rip current messaging.

Since efforts began, Kill Devil Hills Ocean Rescue Director David Elder said his agency, as well as other water rescue agencies that were part of the efforts, collaborated with NOAA and the NWS with the end goal of creating a model that would be a good resource for the NWS, respected by lifeguards and eventually rolled out to the public.

“What this does is it kind of casts (the forecasts) further into the future and the hope is that it also gives people good information so they can further their understanding,” Elder said.

For his part, Dare County Emergency Management Director Drew Pearson said the new model “brings greater fidelity to the forecast.”

“A better-informed beachgoer is a safer beachgoer,” he said, adding that improvements in the forecast will help visitors to beach make better decisions about whether to stay on the beach or go in the water on a particular day.

Artwork by eighth grader Sophie W. of Michigan, winner of the 2021 annual NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest.This year’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program Art Contest is officially open for students in kindergarten through eighth grade in all U.S. states and territories.

Students can submit their artwork now through Dec. 15 that answers the following questions:

• How does marine debris impact the ocean and Great Lakes?
• What are you doing to help prevent marine debris?

Entries will only be accepted by electronically and by mail. If submitting electronically, send the artwork as a JPEG, PNG, or TIFF file.

The winning artwork will be featured in the NOAA 2022 Marine Debris Calendar.

The NOAA Marine Debris Program holds the annual art contest to reach students and help raise awareness about marine debris. NOAA believes that engaging youth is an important part of addressing the problem of marine debris.

The resulting calendar, featuring the winning artwork, provides a daily reminder of how important it is to be responsible stewards of the ocean. Students are highly encouraged to check out resources on this website for information about marine debris.

Artwork and description requirements

1. One entry per student
2. The entries must be on a single sheet of 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper, landscape.
3. Use white, nonglossy paper. Do not laminate.
4. Any art medium may be used such as colored pencils, crayons, paint but computer graphics will not be accepted. Artwork must be hand-drawn by the student.
5. Artwork must be flat with no glued pieces or glitter and able to be scanned.
6. Avoid labeling debris items with any brand names in the artwork.
7. A description of no more than 75 words must accompany the artwork. Space is provided on the entry form.
8. Label each mail entry on the back in pencil — marker bleeds through the artwork — with student’s name, age and grade, along with the teacher’s name, school name, address and telephone number.
9. If submitting your entry electronically, accepted file types are: JPEG, PNG, or TIFF. Make sure the files are high resolution (scanning is encouraged), not crooked, and is easy to see and/or read.

For more contest and submission guidelines, visit the website and download the entry form.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management is offering two training opportunities this month open to all.

Register for a free webinar 3 p.m. Oct. 14 on the Seven Best Practices for Risk Communication, a program to help share information on preparing for the next big event or for the future in a changing climate.

This interactive webinar introduces participants to seven best practices, techniques and examples for communicating about coastal hazards.

Participants will need internet, speakers and Adobe Connect. Connection and user instructions will be provided in advance.

This course offers 1.5 hours of continuing education credits for the American Institute of Certified Planners and one hour for Certified Floodplain Manager professional certifications.

For those unable to attend the live webinar, there is a self-guided, on-demand version of Seven Best Practices for Risk Communication with risk communication expert Dennis Mileti explaining the biggest mistake in risk communication.

The office is also hosting a session on how to host a virtual meeting. The session at 11 a.m. Oct. 21 will include a forum to ask questions about online meeting challenges, with input from other participants and the panel of experts.

For additional information or to register for the Tools and Techniques for Facilitating Virtual Meetings course, email jan.kucklick@noaa.gov.

Attendees will learn how to identify and address common challenges of virtual engagement as well as apply tools to successfully engage participants in a virtual environment.

Participant will need internet connection, speakers and a microphone. This course offers one hour of continuing education credits through the American Institute of Certified Planners and one hour for Certified Floodplain Manager professional certifications.

The workshops are part of the NOAA Office for Coastal Management training curriculum devoted to coastal resource management. Courses are scheduled throughout the year. Visit the website to learn more.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office for Coastal Management will host a virtual meeting at noon Oct. 7 for feedback on the state coastal management and National Estuarine Research Reserve programs.

Register for the meeting that is part of the federal performance evaluation of the North Carolina Coastal Management Program and North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The evaluation examines how the state is addressing the national coastal management objectives in Section 303(2) of the federal Coastal Zone Management Act in implementing and enforcing the federally approved coastal management program.

The reserve component of the evaluation will examine the state’s implementation of the federally approved North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Plan, and adhering to federal regulations governing the implementation of the reserve system as found at 15 CFR, Part 921.

This evaluation will also consider whether the state is meeting all federal requirements for managing financial assistance awards under the Coastal Zone Management Act.

Written comments should be emailed to Ralph Cantral at Ralph.Cantral@noaa.gov no later than Oct. 16. Participation at the public meeting is not required for submission.

RALEIGH – Citing risks to the environment and the coastal economy, Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein announced Wednesday that the state has appealed a federal decision to override the state’s objection to a company’s plan for offshore seismic testing.

Stein’s announcement said the decision could have significant impacts on North Carolina’s fishing and tourism industries.

“Protecting our state’s beautiful natural resources – and the critical economic benefits they bring to our state – is one of the most important mandates of my job,” Stein said in the announcement. “North Carolinians have made their views crystal clear: We do not want drilling off our coast. I am going to court to fight on their behalf.”

The complaint, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Northern Division, seeks to reverse the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s decision in June to override North Carolina’s objection to the consistency certification under the Coastal Zone Management Act.

“North Carolina has been clear, we do not want seismic testing in our coastal waters, or the damage from offshore drilling that could follow,” Cooper said in a statement. “The studies of our waters show little prospect for drilling, and the environmental damage to our coast could be irreparable if seismic testing goes forward.”

WesternGeco is one of five companies seeking to conduct seismic exploration in the Atlantic.

In June 2019, the Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management objected to WesternGeco’s proposal to conduct a geological and geophysical survey off the North Carolina coast. The objection came after public hearings and comments and new information from scientific researchers.

“We will continue to take all necessary actions to protect our coastal resources and economy,” said DEQ Secretary Michael S. Regan. “These destructive activities are not welcome off the North Carolina coastline. We support the communities along our coast who have vehemently opposed seismic testing that would lead to offshore drilling.”

So far this year, the Atlantic hurricane season has had nine named storms, including the most recent, Isaias that hit the East Coast earlier this week, and forecasters say it could be one of the busiest on record.

The annual August update to the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook, initially issued in May, calls for 19-25 named storms with winds of 39 mph or greater. Of those, seven to 11 will become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or greater with three to six becoming major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or greater.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, a part of the National Weather Service, released the update Thursday, which covers the six-month hurricane season that spans from June 1 to Nov. 30, and includes the nine named storms that have happened to date.

Typically, only two named storms form by early August, and the ninth named storm doesn’t form until Oct. 4, with an average season producing 12 named storms, including six hurricanes, three of which become major hurricanes at Category 3, 4 or 5.

“This is one of the most active seasonal forecasts that NOAA has produced in its 22-year history of hurricane outlooks. NOAA will continue to provide the best possible science and service to communities across the Nation for the remainder of hurricane season to ensure public readiness and safety,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement. “We encourage all Americans to do their part by getting prepared, remaining vigilant, and being ready to take action when necessary.”

A comprehensive measure of the overall hurricane season activity is the Accumulated Cyclone Energy, or ACE, index that measures the combined intensity and duration of all named storms during the season.

“This year, we expect more, stronger, and longer-lived storms than average, and our predicted ACE range extends well above NOAA’s threshold for an extremely active season,” Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, said.

Based on the ACE projection, combined with the above-average numbers of named storms and hurricanes, the likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season has increased to 85%, with only a 10% chance of a near-normal season and a 5% chance of a below-normal season, according to the center.

Current oceanic and atmospheric conditions that make an “extremely active” hurricane season possible are warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, reduced vertical wind shear, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds and an enhanced west African monsoon, according to NOAA

A main climate factor behind these conditions, expected to continue for the next several months, is the ongoing warm phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, or AMO, which reappeared in 1995 and has been favoring more active hurricane seasons since that time. The AMO is an ongoing series of long-duration changes in the sea surface temperature of the North Atlantic Ocean, with cool and warm phases that may last for 20-40 years at a time and a difference of about 1°F between extremes. These changes are natural and have been occurring for at least the last 1,000 years.

Another contributing climate factor this year is the possibility of La Nina developing in the months ahead. Indicative of cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial regions of the eastern Pacific Ocean, La Nina can further weaken the wind shear over the Atlantic Basin, allowing storms to develop and intensify.

NOAA’s hurricane season outlook is for overall seasonal activity and does not forecast landfall, which is determined by short-term weather patterns, only predictable within about a week of a storm potentially reaching a coastline. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center provides tropical weather outlooks up to five days in advance, provides track and intensity forecasts for individual storms, and issues watches and warnings for specific tropical storms, hurricanes and the associated storm surge.

This hurricane season, FEMA encourages residents in hurricane-prone regions to keep COVID-19 in mind when making preparations and during evacuations. Visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes. Stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center for the latest about tropical storm and hurricane activity in the Atlantic.

MANTEO – Paper nautical charts will soon be sinking into the horizon, as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently announced its plan to sunset over five years the hard copy maps of the nation’s waterways.

Although NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey has for years offered several digital formats for raster charts, which are the electronic version of the paper charts, to print or download, the paper charts have also been provided by request. The electronic charts have been available since 1993.

But with demand half of what it was a decade ago, the traditional charts are more likely to be found as handsome wall art for landlubbers than in pilothouses of vessels.

“If you’ve got paper charts, they’re great as collectors’ items,” Kyle Ward, NOAA Office of Coast Survey navigation manager for the southeast region told the Dare County Waterways Commission at its recent meeting in Manteo, as he clicked though slides of electronic navigational charts, or ENCs.

“This will be the only version when paper dies.”

But at the same time, NOAA is looking at adding a sweetener for mariners who transit inlets, which have been regarded as too dynamic to merit inclusion of hydrography or aids to navigation data that is on other ENCs. Ward said that test model charts with that additional data has recently been published for three inlets in North Carolina: Oregon, Ocracoke and Masonboro.

“The intent is to see the response from the local community,” Ward said.

Part of what NOAA will be considering in evaluating the models, he added, include how fast the inlet changes, how quickly updated data can be provided, how quickly products can be updated, how the level of effort has changed, and what mariners expect of the system.

Ward said that NOAA will also consider adding other inlets to the system if a request is made, he said. At that, the Dare County Waterways Commission voted unanimously to ask NOAA for an electronic chart for Hatteras Inlet.

The test charts layer additional data on NOAA’s current ENCs from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers eHydro hydrographic surveys and the Coast Guard’s ATON, or aids to navigation, and U.S. Geological Survey bathymetry.

“There’s a whole lot of channels the state has surveyed and the Corps has surveyed that’s not on there,” said commission chair Steve “Creature” Coulter, referring to Hatteras Inlet.

Responding, Ward said that as long as they pass muster in evaluations, NOAA is open to additional data sets that could be useful to mariners.

“If they’re willing to give us the data, we’re willing to put it on the chart,” Ward said.

Ward encouraged mariners to provide input to NOAA about the inlet models. For now, there is no set time for closing the comment window.

“We want to get feedback from our customers who use it,” he said.

NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey, established in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson, is responsible for navigation maps and services within waters 200 miles from U.S. states and territories.

There are an estimated 16 million boats in the U.S., the majority of which are small recreational vessels.

Raster charts are digital or paper images of traditional nautical charts. Color pixels in the images form the text and symbols in the chart. In contrast, ENCs can also store features, such as location, and detailed records associated with it, such as shape and quality.

“Anything we’re doing now that looks like raster, won’t be available,” Ward said.

Phased cancellation of paper and raster services will start in mid-2020 and be completed by 2025. However, an online NOAA Custom Chart application will be available for users to make their own chart centered on their chosen coordinates. The resultant chart would be geospatially referenced, custom scaled and sized, with chart notes placed on a separate PDF page. It could be downloaded, viewed or printed, essentially serving as a backup to the ENC.

Historical nautical charts going back to the mid-1800s will also be available to download for free from the Coast Survey Historical Map & Chart Collection website.

According to information provided by NOAA, ENC sales have increased 425% since 2008, while sales of paper charts have dropped by half.

“Similar to the transition from road atlases to GPS navigation systems that we have witnessed in this digital era,” the NOAA information said, “we are also seeing the increased reliance on NOAA electronic navigation charts (ENC) as the primary navigational product and the decreased use of traditional raster chart products.”

There are currently about 1,258 electronic navigational charts and 1,007 raster/paper charts, according to NOAA. As part of the phase-out of paper, NOAA is also creating a standard gridded layout and increasing the scale of ENCs, which in turn increases the level of detail and consistency. By the time the five-year process is completed, the number of detailed NOAA electronic charts will be about 9,000.

The federal notice announcing the sunsetting of paper and raster charts was published on Nov. 15. The comment period ends on Feb. 1, 2020.

“We’re really using this first year to take public comments,” Chris van Westendorp, chief of NOAA’s navigation services division, said in an interview.

Since 1966, Coast Guard regulations have mandated that commercial vessels carry charts. In 2002, the regulation expanded to permit certain electronic charts. But so far, van Westendorp said there is no plan to disallow paper charts or to limit charts to only electronic navigation.

“I don’t think that we are far enough in the process working with the Coast Guard to make that kind of call. We’re definitely moving in the direction of being paperless.”

As far as the increased vulnerability of digital data, van Westendorp said that NOAA “has pretty rigorous security in place” to prevent hacking of the ENC.

Ultimately, the ENC upgrade will create a better product for mariners, he said. Charts will have increased resolution and offer images in better scale. More data updates will be able to be added more quickly to the charts. In short, the nautical charts will benefit from the flexibility, responsiveness and immediacy of digital platforms.

Still, some see paper navigational charts as beautiful, almost romantic, maritime tools. People like the tactile nature and time-honored functionality of paper charts.

“I do get that moving away from this traditional process there’s kind of a grieving process,” van Westndorp said of the switch to digital-only. “I think the possibilities are endless. I really believe that moving to the ENCs completely is really going to improve the overall safety of navigation for our mariners who use our products.”

Submit comments by Feb. 1, 2020, on the Sunsetting of Raster Nautical Charts online via NOAA’s ASSIST feedback tool, or by mail to National Ocean Service, NOAA (NCS2), ATTN Sunset of Raster Charts, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282. Comments on Charting Aids to Navigation in Changeable Inlets can also be sent to the same NOAA’s ASSIST tool.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Marine Fisheries Service in August released its 2018 annual report on the status of U.S. fisheries to Congress, and the good news is that the total number of stocks on the overfishing list remained near all-time lows and one previously overfished stock was rebuilt.

In addition, new information became available last year for several stocks, which resulted in first-time status determinations with only one of the stocks subject to overfishing as well as being overfished.

The bad news, though, is that, “The total number of stocks listed as overfished increased, due to a number of factors, including those outside the control of domestic fisheries management.”

More recently, North Carolina’s fisheries director said neither of the federal lists includes two of the state’s most important species in need of rebuilding.

Understanding the report requires defining terms used by the National Marine Fisheries Service, an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Overfishing” means a stock has a harvest rate higher than the rate that produces its maximum sustainable yield, or MSY, which is the goal of U.S. management plans and represents an average long-term catch that can be taken from a stock under prevailing environmental and fishery conditions without damaging it for the future. “Overfished” means a stock has a population size that is too low and jeopardizes the stock’s ability to produce its MSY. “Rebuilt” means a stock was previously overfished and has increased in abundance to the target population size that supports its MSY.

“As a population size,” the report states, “‘overfished’ can be the result of many factors, including overfishing, as well as habitat degradation, pollution, climate change and disease. While overfishing is sometimes the main cause of an overfished stock, these other factors can also play a role and may affect the stock’s ability to rebuild.”

“At the end of 2018, the overfishing list included 28 stocks, and the overfished list included 43 stocks,” according to the report’s summary.

Gulf of Maine smooth skate was the fishery rebuilt in 2018, according to the report, “and the total number of stocks rebuilt since 2000 has increased to 45.”

NOAA, through its system of regional fishery management councils, which regulate waters from 3 to 200 miles offshore in the oceans, assesses 479 stocks or stock complexes in 46 fishery management plans. Stock assessments are the “backbone of effective fisheries management,” according to the report.

According to NOAA, sustainable fisheries, “play an important role in the nation’s economy.” U.S. commercial and recreational saltwater fishing generated more than $212 billion in sales and supported 1.7 million jobs in 2016. “

In North Carolina, both recreational and commercial fishing are important to the economy. The state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries pegged the dock value of all commercial landings, shellfish and finish, at about $77.9 million in 2018. The division doesn’t have a value figure for recreational fishing, although estimates by recreational fishing groups peg related economic activity in the billions per year.

Steve Murphey, director of the fisheries division, said the state is doing a good job managing commercial species – also caught by recreational anglers – for sustainable yield in state waters, out to the 3-mile mark, although he conceded there are “problems and challenges.”

Because of their value, blue crabs and southern flounder, neither of which are on either of NOAA’s lists, are among the biggest problems in the state’s fisheries, Murphey said.

Based on North Carolina’s most recent stock assessment completed earlier this year, the state listed the southern flounder as overfished and undergoing overfishing. As a result, the state Marine Fisheries Commission, the policymaking arm of the fisheries division, on Aug. 23 gave final approval to controversial changes to the state management plan, using commercial and recreational season closures and other measures in an effort to end overfishing and rebuild stocks.

Recreational anglers, effective Sept. 4, weren’t allowed to catch and keep them, and the season won’t reopen until sometime next year at the earliest.

Commercial southern flounder fishermen are under new gear restrictions, and inshore commercial fishermen have a significantly restricted season that won’t start until fall.

In 2018, according to division statistics, southern flounder landings in the state totaled about 903,000 pounds, worth about $3.8 million, making it one of the state’s most valuable catches. But that was down from 1.4 million pounds, worth $5.6 million in 2017.

Murphey said he hopes the restrictions can lead to a recovery of the stock within four to five years, but the “quicker the better.” He said it’s a problem for fishermen, but explained that proper management is essential for the long-term health of the stock and the future of the fishery and the fishermen.

As for blue crabs, the division’s 2018 stock assessment determined that it is overfished and that overfishing was occurring. The state determined that at least a 0.4% reduction in the number of crabs harvested, compared to 2016, is needed to end overfishing. At least a 2.2% reduction in the number of crabs harvested in 2016 is needed to achieve sustainable harvest within 10 years.

Public comments were accepted until Oct. 3 on Draft Amendment 3 to the state’s Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan, which is also under fisheries commission advisory committee review. The amendment includes several options for achieving the harvest reductions. The Marine Fisheries Commission is scheduled to consider public comment and advisory committee input and select its preferred management measures for departmental and legislative review at its November meeting and give final approval of the amendment in February 2020. Approved management measures will be implemented shortly afterward by proclamation.

Murphey said the crab stock will likely recover more quickly than the southern flounder stock, in part because much of last year’s harvest reduction was because of Hurricane Florence, which ravaged the North Carolina coast in September and halted a lot of harvesting. Landings in 2017 totaled about 18 million pounds but that dropped to about 16.4 million in 2018. Both years, according to division statistics, the value of the harvest topped $17 million.

“I think we should see a return relatively quickly,” Murphey said, referring to expected positive results from management measures on crabs.

Murphey said there are no simple answers when managing fisheries stocks along the entire North Carolina coast.

“It’s tough to explain (restrictions) to fishermen,” he added, noting that management measures had produced results and would continue to do so.

In the federal waters, based on fisheries service 2018 assessments, seven stocks were removed from the overfishing list and five were added, but the status of one stock was previously unknown, according to the report. The additions resulted from stock assessments or data showing catch was too high. Eight stocks were added to the overfished list, of which one stock’s status was previously unknown.

In federal waters off North Carolina, Atlantic bigeye tuna were added to the overfished list, as were Atlantic mackerel from the Gulf of Maine to Hatteras.

In the western Atlantic, bigeye tuna can be found from Southern Nova Scotia to Brazil. Atlantic mackerel are found on both sides of the North Atlantic Ocean, including in the Baltic Sea. In the western Atlantic, they’re found from Labrador, Canada, to North Carolina.

In the Mid-Atlantic region, from New England to the North Carolina-Virginia border, summer flounder remained on the overfishing list but were not on the overfished list.

And in the South Atlantic region, from the North Carolina-Virginia border to the tip of Florida, red snapper, Warsaw Grouper, red porgy, snowy grouper, red grouper, hogfish, speckled hind, tilefish and blueline tilefish remained on one or both lists. Red grouper were removed from the overfishing list but remained on the overfished list.

The other species added to or removed from one or both of the federal lists were from the Pacific, Puerto Rico or the Gulf of Mexico.

“By ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks, we are strengthening the value of U.S. fisheries to the economy, our communities, and marine ecosystems and providing sustainable seafood for the nation,” the NOAA report states.

“In 2018, in conjunction with the councils, we reviewed all of our fishery regulations to identify those that should be removed or revised to further reduce regulatory constraints and optimize fishery benefits. As a result, we finalized 10 deregulatory actions that resulted in $695 million in cost-savings,” according to the report.

NOAA’s report adds that, “Many of the stocks added to the overfishing and overfished list have been impacted by environmental factors or international harvest that the United States has limited ability to control.”

The report states that, “The eight stocks added to the 2018 overfished list illustrate numerous challenges inherent in fisheries management. Environmental change, habitat degradation, and international fishing contributed to the status of the eight new overfished stocks.”

The report cites as an example that relatively warm water conditions may be affecting the growth and reproduction of the cold-water Saint Matthew Island blue king crab, which has never been subject to overfishing, and fishing for the crab had been prohibited since 2016.

In addition, the report states that warm ocean conditions had reduced the number of spawning coho salmon returning to their natal rivers, and both Chinook and coho salmon have been impacted by habitat degradation caused by drought and lack of sufficient water for spawning.

The report adds that during the past five years, several of the salmon fisheries were declared fishery disasters “due to factors beyond the control of fishery managers.”

The agency also released in 2018 a new plan to improve the agency’s stock assessments.

William Lapenta, 58, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, died Monday in the Surf off Duck, according to multiple reports.

Monday’s surf conditions and a rip current in the area were likely a factor, officials said.

An ocean rescue supervisor who was off duty but in the area saw what he thought to be a swimmer in distress and alerted emergency services, the Outer Banks Voice reported. Lifeguards on patrol responded within minutes.

“Bill Lapenta was a friend to us all. He was a brilliant scientist, a leader in weather modeling, an amazing partner and collaborator, an energetic mentor, and a devoted husband and father,” said National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini. “Bill was the director of NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction, and he led the effort at NOAA to develop EPIC, a new, state-of-the-art U.S. modeling framework to accelerate improvements in the nation’s weather and climate models. Most recently, he had been serving as the acting director of the Office of Weather and Air Quality at NOAA Research. This is a tragic loss to all of us in the NOAA family and to Bill’s atmospheric science colleagues throughout the world. As we mourn the loss of Bill, we pause to reflect on his many contributions to advance the National Weather Service mission while remaining a true friend to all of us who had the good fortune to know him. He will be greatly missed.”

NATIONAL — A North Carolina restoration project  has been recommended by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Restoration Center for funding.

The restoration center in fiscal 2019 recommended $10.4 million in funding through Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Grants for 19 new restoration projects and continuing funding for two ongoing restoration awards to restore habitat in 11 states and territories.

For the North Carolina project, a recommended $42,023 will fund The Nature Conservancy‘s restoration of the Roanoke River floodplain and remove barriers to fish migration. This project is expected to restore habitat for shortnose sturgeon, Atlantic sturgeon and river herring, reduce flooding and enhance water quality, according to NOAA.

Since 1996, our Community-based Restoration Program has partnered with more than 2,900 organizations to take on more than 2,150 projects. These efforts have restored more than 90,000 acres of habitat and opened up 4,070 miles of streams and rivers to fish migration.

Learn more about the 19 new coastal and marine habitat restoration projects recommended for 2019 NOAA Funding online.

Forecasters say atmospheric conditions have become more favorable for above-normal hurricane activity as the busy part of the 2019 storm season begins.

From now through October is considered the peak of hurricane season, and as the El Nino weather pattern in the Pacific gives way to more neutral conditions, forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center have increased the likelihood of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season to 45%, up from 30% from the outlook issued in May.

The likelihood of near-normal activity is now at 35%, and the chance of below-normal activity has dropped to 20%.

Also, NOAA forecasters now expect 10-17 named storms, those with winds of 39 mph or greater, of which five to nine will become hurricanes, meaning winds of 74 mph or greater, including two to four major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or greater before hurricane season ends Nov. 30.

“El Nino typically suppresses Atlantic hurricane activity but now that it’s gone, we could see a busier season ahead,” said Gerry Bell, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center. “This evolution, combined with the more conducive conditions associated with the ongoing high-activity era for Atlantic hurricanes that began in 1995, increases the likelihood of above-normal activity this year.”

There have been two named storms already during the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season.

An average hurricane season includes 12 named storms with six becoming hurricanes and three becoming major hurricanes. The revised forecast does not predict landfalls.

BEAUFORT —  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries researchers and colleagues captured and tagged 13 leatherback turtles last month off the coast of Beaufort, where the turtles aggregate during northward spring migration, the agency announced Tuesday.

The team’s May 14-22 field operation included turtle researchers Heather Haas and Eric Matzen from the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s Woods Hole Laboratory, who brought the Woods Hole Laboratory’s research vessel Selkie and an inflatable Takacat raft to provide field support. NOAA Fisheries Southeast staffers, including team leader Chris Sasso, Larisa  Avens, Annie Gorgone, Blake Price, Jamie Clark and Joanne McNeil joined in the project.

“We chose this location because of the relatively easy access to turtles and because they disperse widely after tagging, but it isn’t easy to get a leatherback weighing several hundred pounds onboard for all the sampling that needs to be done,” Haas, whose role was to drive the Selkie while Matzen assisted in leatherback captures, said in a statement. “We started a week later this year than last, which turned out to be a good decision as cannonball jellies, a major prey, were present and leatherbacks were in full force by the time we arrived. Despite a long stretch of windy weather, the experienced capture crew was able to surpass the seven tags we deployed last year, deploying 13 satellite tags and three suction-cup tags.”

Dr. Craig Harms from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine led the team of veterinarians that assessed the turtles health status. Samir Patel and colleagues from Coonamessett Farm Foundation brought suction cup tags for testing that record high-resolution video as well as environmental and movement information. Matthew Godfrey of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, who assisted in the field work, coordinated the research.

The two-part field program used satellite tagging and two types of suction-cup tags, a homemade tag with a high-resolution video camera that recorded temperature, depth and GPS location placed by hand on a free-swimming leatherback, and a more sophisticated suction-cup tag that underwent its first field testing. Two juveniles, 10 females and one male were satellite tagged.

Transmissions from the satellite tags showed that most of the turtles had moved north of their tagging location, while a few moved slightly south.

“The video from our homemade suction-cup tag shed some new light on the association between leatherbacks and cobia, which fishermen have reported,” said Haas. “The video showed a cobia swimming out in front of the tagged leatherback. When the turtle went up to breathe, the cobia led the way up. When the turtle went down, the cobia led the way. I’m presuming that the cobia was sensing and responding to some sort of bow wave from the leatherback.”

Researchers were continuing a 2017 project to assess the abundance, movements, behavior and health status of leatherback turtles as part of the multi-federal agency research and monitoring program, Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species. The program includes the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Navy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries. The program collects data on protected species in the Atlantic Ocean to understand the potential effects of ocean energy development on these species relative to long-term climatic changes in the environment.

Learn More

• Record Number of Leatherback Turtles Tagged in North Carolina

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Reprinted from Island Free Press

A weather buoy that was originally stationed about 17 miles off of Cape Point has made a long voyage up the Eastern Seaboard, and was last located about 671 miles away, well off the coast of New York City.

The buoy, formally known as Station 41025 – Diamond Shoals, is one of several buoys in the Outer Banks region that is managed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Data Buoy Center, which provides valuable data for researchers and meteorologists.

“We use these buoys to collect observational information, which we then use for our forecasts,” said Morgan Simms of the National Weather Service office in Newport. “The big data we get out there especially is wave (activity), so we can use that as an estimate for wave height and swell height in that part of Atlantic.”

“(That buoy) provides water temperatures in the Gulf Stream as well, so we can get a rough idea of water temps in that area,” he added. “It’s one of multiple buoys on the North Carolina coast that we use for data.”

However, on Dec. 21, the National Data Buoy Center noted that the 3-meter foam buoy went adrift, and while the buoy has stopped transmitting some data, such as wave height and water temperature, it is still reporting it’s locale – and it has gone on quite the journey.

Seemingly following the Gulf Stream current in a northeast direction, the Station 41025 buoy covered more than 150 nautical miles during the past weekend alone, and is currently situated 40.22 degrees north latitude and 63.09 degrees west longitude, or roughly 671 nautical miles away from its original location in the Diamond Shoals.

Retrievals of runaway buoys are orchestrated by the National Data Buoy Center, which was temporarily closed during the government shutdown, and there is no word yet on when Station 41025 – Diamond Shoals might be returned back home.

Station 41025 has been providing data on the Outer Banks waters since 2003, and more information about the Diamond Shoals buoy can be found on the NOAA website.

This story is provided courtesy of the Island Free Press, a digital newspaper covering Hatteras and Ocracoke islands. Coastal Review Online is partnering with the Free Press to provide readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest along our coast. 

WILMINGTON — Spots are still available for a Nov. 6 workshop where area decision makers can learn about the online resources the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers.

Set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cape Fear Community College, participants will be have a hands-on experience with various tools, including the Sea Level Rise Viewer and the Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper. Participants can also discover the wealth of resources available through NOAA’s Digital Coast.

Led by staff from NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, the fee to cover lunch and computer lab rental is $25 and can be paid by checks made payable to “NC Division of Coastal Management.” Mail to NCNERR, 101 Pivers Island Road, Beaufort N.C. 28516. Payment will be refunded  if registration is canceled by Oct. 30. 

Free parking is available in the visitor lot at 2nd and Walnut streets, near the computer lab U-317 in Union Station, 502 Front St., where the workshop will be held.

Registration is required. American Institute of Certified Planners, or AICP, will receive four Certification Maintenance credits.

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• Agenda 

RALEIGH — The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration is bringing to North Carolina its series of nationwide listening sessions to discuss the implementation of the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act, a measure focused on improving forecasting for extreme weather signed into law last year, including the development of a community-based weather model.

The meeting will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the North Carolina State University McKimmon Center, room 5, 1101 Gorman St. Doors open a half hour before the session.

The public conferences are being held nationwide August through November to provide information about the implementation of the Department of Commerce’s 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, and offer an opportunity to give input.

Learn More

• NOAA starts nationwide listening sessions

MOREHEAD CITY — North Carolina is set to join a national effort that highlights the social, economic and environmental importance of shellfish.

Michael Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, is expected to announce Thursday Gov. Roy Cooper’s support for the North Carolina Shellfish Initiative during an event at the North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, or CMAST. The event is scheduled for 10 a.m. until noon.

The statewide initiative is modeled after the National Shellfish Initiative, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s program to increase the shellfish population in the nation’s coastal waters. The North Carolina Shellfish Initiative is being promoted as a way to advance the state’s work to strengthen the coastal economy, create jobs and promote sustainable seafood and shellfish restoration.

The state initiative sets four goals: job creation, protection of water quality, protection of shellfish health and sustainable management.

The North Carolina Shellfish Initiative reflects the growing importance of shellfish conservation and the industry’s benefits to the coastal economy. North Carolina is the sixth state and the first in the Southeast to follow the federal model and establish an initiative to increase shellfish.

The state shellfish initiatives are described as a vehicle to leverage partnerships, grant programs and regulatory authorities to maximize the benefits of shellfish and maintain vibrant coastal communities and healthy coastal ecosystems.

“North Carolina has a history of collaboration among public, private and academic sectors to transform ideas into actions that advance shellfish restoration and mariculture,” Ken Riley, a marine ecologist with NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, said in a statement. “Over the last 15 years, the state has garnered public attention with significant investment in shellfish restoration and the growth of the shellfish farms.  NOAA is pleased to partner with the State contributing tools and expertise for siting shellfish farms and oyster restoration projects, which increase opportunities to sustainably harvest shellfish.”

The event Thursday is open to the public and will include remarks from Regan and representatives from other federal, state and private stakeholders involved in shellfish restoration, production and research and development.

Attendees can join a short walking tour around the CMAST campus to learn more about North Carolina shellfish activities and programs from industry, agency, university and nonprofit partners. The tour will include a visit to the North Carolina Sea Grant Shellfish Farming Demonstration Center, a regional technology center and proving ground for training prospective growers such as commercial fishermen wishing to enter the mariculture industry.

For more information about the Initiative and its launch, visit ncoysters.org or contact Erin Fleckenstein with the North Carolina Coastal Federation at erinf@nccoast.org.

CARTERET COUNTY – Last week the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Community-based Restoration Program announced it recommended $950,000 for the North Carolina Coastal Federation and partners to continue work on the Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary.

With the funding, the federation and its partners plan to expand the 25-acre project to an almost 40-acre project in 2019. The North Carolina General Assembly provided matching sanctuary and cultch funds of $950,000 for the same project, which will be entering its third year.

At the end of June, contractors and project partners wrapped up the second phase of the Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary, adding 10 acres to the project site and to the Sen. Jean Preston Oyster Sanctuary Network.

This project began in the spring of 2017 when the federation and its partners, the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and a private contractor, Stevens Towing Co. Inc., built 15 acres of oyster reef in the Pamlico Sound near the mouth of the Neuse River.

“We have really enjoyed being a part of building the Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary. Promoting oyster growth and clean water in the Pamlico Sound are two things that are easy to love, so it is great to be able to put our skill set to work in helping attain these goals,” said Simon Rich of Stevens Towing Co.

The first phase of the project constructed oyster reefs out of limestone marl, but for the second implementation the reefs were created with granite. Granite is less susceptible to pests and is denser than limestone. Since this is the first time granite has been used on a project this size, the division says it will be closely monitoring the site to compare the use of granite to limestone.

“This project would not have been a success without the continued collaboration between the North Carolina Coastal Federation and Division of Marine Fisheries,” said Kaitlin DeAeth, an oyster sanctuary biologist with the division. “Participating in this construction project has been a rewarding experience and we look forward to phase three of this project.”

All the materials, contractors and employees for this project are based in North Carolina, including the 50 million pounds of granite. So far the Swan Island Oyster Sanctuary has employed 56 people from North Carolina to complete the first and second phases of the project.

In addition to NOAA and state funding, the Swan Island project has received private donations.

“We are proud of our almost 20-year partnership with the North Carolina Coastal Federation toward restoring important oyster habitat,” said Pat Montanio, director, Office of Habitat Conservation in NOAA Fisheries. “This landscape-scale effort exemplifies the multiple benefits of habitat restoration to boost fisheries, improve water quality and support local economies.”

The Swan Island project is part of the federation’s 50 Million Oyster Initiative which aims to have 50 million oysters in North Carolina waters by 2020. In addition to filtering 2.5 billion gallons of water per day, the oyster reefs will provide habitat for other commercially and recreationally important fish.

Learn More

• Visit ncoysters.org or nccoast.org/oysters, subscribe to quarterly email newsletter “On the Half Shell.”
• Read more about NOAA’s funding recommendations.

BEAUFORT – Digital Coast — a website filled with data, and the tools and training to help make sense of the data — was created to help communities in coastal zones approach a range of challenges such as sea level rise and storms.

Adam Bode, senior geospatial analyst and regional coordinator for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management based in Charleston, South Carolina, led in October a daylong NOAA Tools Training, the first of its kind, at the NOAA Fisheries Beaufort Lab to help coastal management professionals learn more about the website and how it can help them.

The multi-faceted website is organized in sections: About, Data, Tools, Training, Topics and Stories.

“It’s a mixed bag of different tools, trainings, webinars and resources meant to help you step through and better understand natural infrastructure and other topics that we have on the Digital Coast,” Bode said.

Bode said during the training session that what sets Digital Coast apart from other one-stop shop information portals is that “we’re really focused on aggregating and collecting, collating resources really meant for the coastal zone management community.”

The Digital Coast was first released in 2007 and is managed by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. Bode said that the office works with partners to try to provide unbiased, relevant information and tools.

“More than just data” is a slogan for Digital Coast, Bode continued, because, while data is the foundation of Digital Coast, there are also training resources, access to tools and a variety of other ready-to-use resources covering a number of different topics, all structured around the needs and input of the users.

Digital Coast houses more than 70 terabytes of data, including high-resolution elevation data, land cover data and orthoimagery, or remotely-sensed aerial photography that has been geometrically corrected or adjusted for lens distortion and other aberrations.

“Tools is another main section of our website,” Bode said, adding that providing access to curated lists of tools is the goal. There are more than 50 different tools that can be filtered, categorized based on geography and topic of interest.

“Another core component of the website is our training,” Bode explained. There are scheduled trainings that are instructor-led, online and mixed delivery, which is a combination of webinar with some hands-on training as a follow-up.

In addition to scheduled courses, there are on-demand learning products that include a variety of self-guided resources, case studies, 47 publications, a number of quick references and the video and webinar sections are continuously being expanded.

There are currently 10 topics in the Topics section, including adaptation strategies, natural infrastructure and vulnerability assessments, with plans to add more in the future, Bode said.

“The overall general approach taken with the Digital Coast is that it gets people the foundational data and resources that they need,” he said.

Bode recommended visiting Tips for First-Time Users as well as the frequently asked questions, or FAQs, on the main page of Digital Coast for those who are new to the website.

Bode said in an interview after the training session that the training at the NOAA Lab exceeded expectations.

“The size and diverse nature of the attendees provided a great opportunity for NOAA to work with and hear from our target audiences. Attendees appreciated the hands-on format, which elicited great discussions. We look forward to extending this type of training to others within the state and region,” he said.

Bode said that the website was developed to meet the unique needs of those who make decisions about coastal resources, including town planners, developers and coastal conservation groups, to name a few.

“Content on the site comes from many sources, but being relevant to this audience is the requirement. The Digital Coast Partnership, which is made up of user groups such as the American Planning Association and the National Association of Counties, helps ensure this relevance, providing user insight and feedback,” he said.

Bode said that while designed for specific issues and audiences, the public will find many Digital Coast resources to be helpful. “They should check out the Stories from the Field section of the website. Here, nearly 140 examples of how Digital Coast resources help coastal communities can be found. A handout about North Carolina and the most used Digital Coast resources for this state is also available.”

Examples of Stories from the Field include New Jersey engaging communities in hazard mitigation planning through the use of vulnerability assessment tools as well as planners along Florida’s Gulf Coast using the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer data to help identify the effects of shoreline armoring on seagrass habitats.

Those new to the site should also visit the Digital Coast Academy, Bode added. “This section contains nearly 200 resources, from in-person training to quick references guides and videos, all designed to help people understand their coast and make better decisions about the future of their coast. After all, that’s what the Digital Coast is all about – making the right decisions about the future of our nation’s coasts.”

Whitney Jenkins, coastal training program coordinator with the North Carolina Coastal Reserve & National Estuarine Research Reserve, coordinated the training session with Bode and Jennifer Dorton, who at the time was with the North Carolina Sentinel Site Cooperative, part of a NOAA effort to provide coastal communities and resource managers with information on the potential impacts of sea level rise on coastal habitats. The North Carolina site encompasses Carteret County and parts of Onslow and Craven counties.

Jenkins said, “The Reserve was very excited to bring this opportunity to coastal North Carolina professionals to showcase the resources NOAA has developed to support coastal management. A big thank you to Adam Bode with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management for leading the training and the N.C. Sentinel Site Cooperative for sponsoring this event.”

Learn More

• NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management Digital Coast

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service has designated critical habitat for Atlantic sturgeon, a move the agency called an important step to ensuring recovery of one of the oldest fish species in the world.

The critical habitat designation announced Aug. 16 will require federal agencies to consult NOAA Fisheries if they operate or fund activities that may affect designated critical habitat in more than 3,968 miles of coastal river habitat from Maine to Florida. Atlantic sturgeon was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 2012 and is comprised of the threatened Gulf of Maine distinct population segment and the endangered New York Bight, Chesapeake Bay, Carolina and South Atlantic distinct population segments.

The act requires that NOAA Fisheries designate critical habitat when a species is listed as threatened or endangered. Under the act, critical habitat is defined as specific areas within the geographical areas that are occupied by the species that contain physical or biological features essential to the conservation of that species, and that may require special management considerations.

The designation of critical habitat does not include any new restrictions or management measures for recreational or commercial fishing operations, nor does it create any preserves or refuges. Instead, when a federal agency funds, authorizes, or carries out activities that may affect critical habitat, it must work with NOAA Fisheries to avoid or minimize potential harmful effects on critical habitat.

Learn More

• Notice in the Federal Register

HARKERS ISLAND – Thanks to a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program, a contractor working for the North Carolina Coastal Federation will soon clean up debris left over from an abandoned aquaculture facility in the waters near Harkers Island in Carteret County.

The $129,041 project is to be paid for with $64,474 from NOAA and a $64,567 match from the federation and the contractor in the form of staff and volunteer work hours and services, respectively. NOAA and the federation announced the grant Tuesday.

Bree Tillett, a coastal specialist for the federation, said the grant also will help fund development of best management practices, or BMPs, to help make sure that existing and future aquaculture operations don’t leave behind gear that can harm marine life or litter waters, posing threats to boats or swimmers.

The concept is to develop a consensus on BMPs for shellfish aquaculture marine debris disposal and prevention, and to incorporate these practices into North Carolina Sea Grant’s shellfish growers’ required class for leaseholders, Tillett said.

Partners in the grant include Sea Grant, NOAA and the Duke University Marine Laboratory.

Tillett said the debris has been there for years in West Mouth Bay, off Guthrie Drive on the “back” side of the island, and at one point encompassed about 30 acres of water.

What remains of the abandoned operation, she said, is mostly PVC pipes and plastic mesh netting, some of which has washed ashore and into the marsh along adjacent property. Some of it is in sea grass beds, which makes removal difficult because the beds are prime habitat for naturally occurring clams and oysters.

All told, the effort is supposed to remove 250 cubic meters, or 8,829 cubic feet, of debris from public trust bottom, and remove 600 pounds of shoreline debris, which has been there since the mid-1990s.

“We are looking forward to getting it cleaned up,” Tillett said, because the gear poses at least a slight threat not only to fish and wildlife, but also to those who might use the area recreationally. Tillett stressed that the goal of the project is not to cast aspersions on the aquaculture industry, which some people increasingly see as a big part of the future of the commercial fishing industry in the state.

In fact, she said, the whole project is forward-looking; a big component includes an effort to develop those BMPs, working with the aquaculture industry and North Carolina Sea Grant.

The federation is also involving “new science,” by working with the Marine Conservation Ecology Unmanned Systems Facility, the drone program headed by David Johnston at the Duke Lab on Pivers Island in Beaufort, which will photograph the conditions before the cleanup and after.

Chuck Weirich, a marine aquaculture specialist in Sea Grant’s office in Morehead City, welcomes the whole effort.

“Sea Grant is very supportive of this project,” he said. “It’s good work, a very proactive strategy.”

Weirich said he’s convinced that almost all who are involved in the relatively young but growing aquaculture industry in North Carolina are, and want to be, good environmental stewards, but conceded that as some projects develop and then some inevitably don’t make it, marine debris could become a problem in some cases.

“Right now, the industry is really very small and developing,” he said. “We here at Sea Grant believe in aquaculture, but we also see the need to ensure that those who are involved are good stewards. It’s something to keep an eye on in the future, and it will be good to see some guidelines developed. It’s important to avoid user conflicts and any other potential negative factors that could be associated with aquaculture.”

James Morris, an ecologist at the National Center for Coastal Ocean Science’s Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research at the NOAA lab in Beaufort, also supports the project.

Although he’s best known for his research on lionfish, tiger shrimp and other invasive species in and near North Carolina waters, Morris’ work increasingly involves aquaculture, which NOAA has been pushing in recent years. Morris has publicly supported “good aquaculture” for some time, and has had a lease. In a paper way back in 2013, he reported on a study that evaluated the environmental effects of finfish aquaculture, including interactions with water quality, benthic habitats, or bottom of a body of water, and marine life across various farming practices and habitat types.

“We did this study because of concerns that putting marine finfish farms in the coastal ocean could have adverse effects on the environment,” Morris said then. “We found that, in cases where farms are appropriately sited and responsibly managed, impacts to the environment are minimal to non-existent.”

In the report, scientists, including Morris, said that “continued development of regional best-management practices and standardized protocols for environmental monitoring are key needs for aquaculture managers. As aquaculture development increases in the coastal ocean, the ability to forecast immediate or long-term environmental concerns will provide confidence to coastal managers and the public.”

Just a year or so ago, NOAA released an aquaculture plan, which its website says will guide efforts within NOAA Fisheries to support development of sustainable marine aquaculture from 2016-2020.

The plan, according to the website, “features four main goals: regulatory efficiency, science tools for sustainable management, technology development and transfer, and an informed public.” Other parts of the plan include strengthening partnerships, improving external communications, building infrastructure to support marine aquaculture and sound program management. The plan also sets a target of expanding sustainable U.S. marine aquaculture production by at least 50 percent by 2020.

NOAA contends aquaculture is needed. “The U.S. imports over 90 percent of its seafood, about half of which is farmed,” the website states. “While aquaculture globally has grown dramatically over the past 30 years, in the U.S. production has remained low.”

Kathryn Sullivan, NOAA administrator at the time the plans were developed, is quoted on the website as saying that “aquaculture presents a tremendous opportunity not only to meet this demand, but also to increase opportunities for the seafood industry and job creation. Expanding U.S. aquaculture … complements wild harvest fisheries and supports our efforts to maintain sustainable fisheries and resilient oceans.”

As such, Morris said, it’s important that seafood farmers are good stewards, but also that others around realize that they are good stewards. And most, he said, are just that, because their very survival in the business depends upon clean waters.

He and Weirich agree that there are relatively few bad actors in the growing aquaculture industry, but it’s important the industry remains that way. There is still significant opposition to some projects, and any problems can exacerbate negative views.

The BMPs, he said, can help develop a spirit of cooperation and respect among the “grower community” and those around them, and ensure that the mess left behind on Harkers Island is an isolated incident. The idea is for aquaculture in the state to grow in a sustainable way.

The cleanup itself, he said, provides a good opportunity for research, as those involved will be able to monitor the changes in habitat over time afterward.

Tillett, the federation coastal specialist, said there is also money in the grant to do some other marine debris habitat cleanup work not related to aquaculture, such as at Hoop Pole Creek in Atlantic Beach, where federation volunteers and staffers have worked many times.

Although it’s not a huge grant in terms of money, she said, a lot of good should come from it.

Steve Murphey, Habitat and Enhancement Section chief at the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, agreed it will be a good thing to see the area cleaned up. The division, he said, has now included a clause in its lease agreement to make sure that happens, should a leaseholder abandon a project or have his or her permit revoked, but that doesn’t address any existing problems.

Murphey also welcomed the idea of working BMPs into Sea Grant’s educational material, because the more gear that is used in such operations, the more opportunities there are for problems, regardless of best intentions.

Learn More

• Updates on marine debris removal

Humpback whales are dying in unusually high numbers off of the Atlantic coast, from Maine to North Carolina, and the federal government is asking the public to report any more sightings of whales.

Federal officials reported last week that 41 whales have died in the past 15 months in what marine scientists coin an “unusual mortality event.” While there are theories for the deaths, officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said a solid explanation has not been found.

Officials said whales have been found with blunt-force injuries, possibly caused by collisions with ships.

NOAA’s data says that approximately eight humpback whales are stranded each year. Unusual mortality events are rare and are defined as “a stranding that is unexpected, involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population, and demands immediate response,” by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The public can help report sightings of stranded or dead floating whales to regional numbers listed on NOAA’s website.

Learn More

• Contacts to report marine mammal sightings locally

ASHEVILLE — The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is promoting a resource that ranks climate patterns across the United States.

The website, the U.S. Climatological Rankings, is a database that organizes high and low temperatures and the amount of precipitation that fell on various days in different regions of the country. The data is compiled by the National Center for Environmental Information in Asheville. The website states that rankings are “based on how the temperature or precipitation value compares with other values throughout the entire record when sorted from lowest to highest value.”

The tool is useful for people who are looking to find out how the weather of states or regions over a period of time rank in history. The data dates back to January 1895.

Learn More

• NOAA’s Climatological Rankings

In the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has shared information and resources to assist those who are dealing with marine debris related to the storm.

NOAA has created a map superimposed with new, high-resolution imagery for U.S. coastlines affected by the storm. This imagery was acquired by the NOAA Remote Sensing Division to support NOAA national security and emergency response requirements. In addition, it’s to be used for ongoing research efforts for testing and developing standards for airborne digital imagery. Individual images have been combined into a larger mosaic and tiled. Layers from various dates, Oct. 7-10, may be switched on and off for comparison.

Also, NOAA’s reference for responding to marine debris, the North Carolina Incident Waterway Debris Response Guide, includes information on addressing waterway debris impacts including roles and authorities, jurisdictional maps, contact information, a response flowchart and permitting and compliance requirements.

To Learn More

• Shoreline Imagery
• North Carolina Incident Waterway Debris Response Guide

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service released today the final version of its plan for managing ocean noise and its effects on marine life.

NOAA’s Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap is a guide for the agency’s use during the next 10 years in reviewing the status of the science on ocean noise. NOAA said it is already taking on some of these recommendations, such as the recent launch of an underwater network of acoustic monitoring sensors. The roadmap suggests roles for continuing partnerships and starting new ones with other federal agencies, industries, academic researchers, environmental advocates and others.

Sound is critical for the survival of many marine animals. It’s a primary means of communication, orientation and navigation, finding food, avoiding predators, and mate selection. Ocean noise can be caused by natural or human sources.

“Sustainability and resiliency of marine resources are important to NOAA,” said Eileen Sobeck, assistant NOAA administrator for fisheries. “We knew we had to have a vision for understanding and addressing how growing levels of ocean noise are affecting marine animals and their habitats in complex ways, and the roadmap provides that.”

The document summarizes the status of the science, details relevant NOAA management and science capacities and recommends actions that could be taken to achieve more comprehensive management of noise effects.

“NOAA’s ocean noise strategy outlines several approaches that we can take with other federal and non-federal partners to reduce how noise affects the species and places we manage,” said W. Russell Callender, assistant NOAA administrator for its National Ocean Service. “It also showcases the importance that places like national marine sanctuaries have as sentinel sites in building our understanding of ocean noise impacts.”

NOAA received more than 85,000 responses during public comment on the draft roadmap, and experts considered those comments for the final version.

The roadmap comes a month after NOAA Fisheries released its final acoustic guidance to better predict how man-made underwater sounds affect marine mammal hearing. The technical guidance is one example of a targeted action the roadmap recommends the agency conduct.

To Learn More

• NOAA’s Ocean Noise Strategy

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today released technical guidance on how to predict the impact of human-made underwater sounds on marine mammals’ hearing, including noise from seismic survey activity.

Seismic surveying generates shock waves that are generated by air or water guns and reflected off the sea floor to measure the qualities of rocks below the Earth’s surface. It’s an essential part of exploration for oil and natural gas.

In addition to helping the federal government and industries accurately understand the effects of their actions, the guidance will also be used by NOAA to authorize activities that create sound underwater.

The guidance provides acoustic thresholds in marine mammal hearing to predict how the animal will respond. It has gone through an internal review, three external peer reviews, three public comment periods and received input from other federal agencies.

Learn More

• NOAA Fisheries web page
• Read the technical guidance

NAVASSA — How would you restore land and waterways damaged by years of contamination?

Officials in charge of cleaning up a former Navassa-based wood treatment plant that’s now a federal Superfund site are seeking answers to that question from people and groups during a public meeting next week in the small Brunswick County town.

“We’re in a scoping period so we really want to know any and every option,” said Howard Schnabolk, a habitat restoration specialist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. “To get ideas that are on the ground and hear from folks who live in the community is important to steer our efforts. We’re really interested in hearing ideas from them.”

That meeting is scheduled Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Navassa Community Center, 388 Main St.

With a nearly $23 million budget, those in charge of the cleanup, including officials with NOAA, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, are ready to begin mapping out how to best restore natural resources around the former plant site.

The money is part of a $5.51 billion court-ordered settlement – one of the largest environmental settlements in U.S. history – between the U.S. Department of Justice and the Anadarko Petroleum Corp. That amount was split between dozens of sites in more than 20 states. The settlement created four environmental trusts to manage the cleanup.

The Navassa site was once the location of a large plant that operated for nearly four decades treating wood with creosote, a common wood preservative made from a wide range of chemicals that, when combined, form a gummy substance applied to wood products such as railroad ties and telephone poles.

The plant opened in 1936 and was operated by numerous owners before being sold to the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp., which closed the plant in 1974.

It wasn’t until 2002, during a N.C. Department of Transportation bridge project in the area, that creosote contamination was discovered in the wetlands.

In 2010 the site was added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program’s National Priorities List.

Efforts to clean up and restore the site are twofold. Most of the restoration, Schnabolk said, will likely occur in and around areas adjacent to the 250-acre site. The remainder of work will take place in riparian areas.

In a recently released restoration scoping document, NOAA lays out guidelines on preferable-type projects to be undertaken around the site. Some examples include coastal marsh restoration, land acquisition, riverbank habitat restoration and benthic habitat restoration. Benthic habitat supports bottom-dwelling species such as worms and mollusks.

Comments and project ideas will be accepted through Sept. 4. After the comment period the trustees will publish a draft plan, the release of which will be followed by a 30-day public comment period.

While restoration plans are being made, the EPA will be cleaning up the contaminated areas of the site

“We think we have about 10 or 15 acres of marsh that are heavily impacted,” said Erik Spalvins, EPA remedial project engineer and the Navassa site manager. “I think we’re going to have 60 to 80 acres of upland area that we’re going to have to deal with. The areas where we have real severe impacts, we’ll take care of it.”

The EPA and Multistate Environmental Response Trust in 2011 collected samples of soil, Sturgeon Creek marsh sediments, surface water and groundwater at the Navassa site. The trust owns and manages more than 400 former Kerr-McGee sites in 24 states.

Samples turned up hazardous substances, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a combination of chemicals that commonly enter the body through breathing contaminated air or by consuming contaminated water or food.

Environmental officials continue to investigate just how much contamination is on the site, land bound by the Brunswick River to the east and Sturgeon Creek to the south.

On-site remediation will be covered through the government’s Superfund program.

Spalvins said he hopes to start contamination cleanup this fall.

“We’re going to be building fences and doing some road maintenance hopefully starting in a couple of weeks,” he said. “We have an investigation work plan that we’re reviewing right now. Our focus for this fall is to do some additional sampling.”

The goal, he said, is to have the site cleaned within five to 10 years, but he warned of “a lot of uncertainty at this point.”

“I think that the marsh part of it will be done in five to 10 years,” Spalvins said. “The town is really excited about the potential for re-use. We’re hopeful that there’s a lot of potential. It’s a wonderful piece of property. The view is just beautiful.”

Town leaders and residents have discussed using the site as a multi-use town center.

The EPA will be releasing notices for future public meetings, Spalvins said. He also plans to be on hand at the trustees’ meeting.

Staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration conduct research in a marsh near their lab on Pivers Island. Photo: Patricia Tester

Last of two parts

BEAUFORT – The NOAA Lab on Pivers Island near Beaufort attracted the best fisheries scientists in the world, but it was even a destination for locals, for a time.

“During the 1940s and early 1950s,” according to a history of the lab by Charles Manooch, a retired lab scientist, “the beach and the immaculately kept, park-like grounds at the laboratory were a source of pride for county residents and an attraction to tourists. Families would often spend weekend days and holidays, spreading picnic lunches on the mowed lawn beneath the large live oak and cedar trees and viewing the museum, aquarium and fish collection at the laboratory.

“Children would play games on the lawns and swim in the protected waters of the small sandy beach. During the summer months, when visitors were numerous, some live animals generally were exhibited also.”

But the biggest period of growth at the lab didn’t start until after World War II, as the nation re-found its peacetime footings and the miraculous burgeoning of the American middle class took off. Construction of a new lab began in 1954 and was completed the following year, Manooch noted in his history. A 12-office wing was added in 1957 and a two-story radiobiological laboratory wing in 1964, three years after a new residence for the laboratory director was built.

John Burke in the rearing facility, where fish larvae are cultured under controlled conditions for investigations of important aspects of physiology and ecology. Photo: “A History of the Federal Biological Laboratory at Beaufort, North Carolina 1899-1999” by Douglas Wolfe

Other new construction included shop and service buildings, a physiology laboratory, a computer center and a high-level radiation building. A new two-lane concrete bridge to the island, badly needed for years, was completed in October 1968, and major repairs were made in the last five years.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the laboratory maintained its international prominence in fisheries, ecological and physiological research. Major emphasis during this time was placed on life histories, dynamics and man’s influence on American shad, striped bass, Atlantic menhaden and blue crab. In an era when countries were still testing nuclear weapons by detonating them in the air, lab scientists were also looking for the resulting radioactive isotopes in marine life. Menhaden was also a major focus, as nearby Beaufort Fisheries was one of the nation’s biggest players in the harvest of the fish.

Gene Huntsman, who lives near Havelock, arrived at the lab in 1967. Science was booming, thanks in part to the emphasis the government had placed on it after President John F. Kennedy launched the country toward the moon in the wake of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik satellite in 1957. Although marine science wasn’t a “new frontier,” there was a lot going on.

“It was an exciting place to be,” Huntsman recalled of his first decade or so on Pivers Island. “The lab was thriving. There were two or three people in every office; we were really falling all over each other. There were a lot of ideas, a lot of opportunities.”

The menhaden program – the lab studied the tiny but highly valuable oil-laden fish closely and worked with a growing industry that satisfied demand for fish oil and fish meal – was hopping, as were early efforts to learn about the reef fish, such as snapper and grouper, which were increasingly being targeted by the fast-growing recreational fishing industry.

Theodore Rice was legendary both for his intellect and for his ability to occasionally drive his colleagues crazy. Photo:”History of the Federal Fisheries Laboratory at Beaufort, North Carolina” by Charles S. Manooch III and Ann B. Manooch

“There were a lot of brilliant people,” said Huntsman, including those working in the cutting edge radionuclides program.

One of those was Theodore Rice, who became lab director in 1970 and held the post until 1985, when Ford “Bud” Cross took the reins.

Rice, who died in 2011 at age 92 in Morehead City, was legendary, both for his intellect and for his ability to occasionally drive his colleagues crazy.

“He was a Harvard Ph.D., and there’s no doubt he was brilliant,” Huntsman said. “But he was somewhat insecure, and that made him hard to get along with sometimes, because he’d do crazy things. He’d drive us up the wall at times. But eventually he mellowed. And he was a leader.”

There was tremendous interaction in the Carteret County marine science community, said Doug Wolfe, a former scientist at the lab who wrote a book to commemorate its 100th anniversary, and Rice was much of the reason for it. In fact, he said, Rice was in part responsible for N.C. State University establishing its presence, culminating with its Center for Marine and Science Technology, or CMAST.

“He approached N.C. State back in the 1960s and said Duke and UNC were already here, and State should be, too,” Wolfe said.

N.C. State started sending grad students to work and learn in the Beaufort lab, and over the years, before CMAST, adjunct professors from the university taught in the NOAA lab.

As for the UNC connection, Robert Coker was an employee and scientist at the Beaufort lab as early as 1902 and was later assistant commissioner for scientific inquiry for NOAA in Washington. He returned to UNC as a professor in 1923, and eventually founded and was the first director of the UNC’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City. A building bears his name.

“There are a tremendous number of connections between the early history of the lab and what came later in the area,” Wolfe said. Folks who worked there later were well aware of that, and of the lab’s reputation for excellent science, he said.

“I loved my time at the Beaufort lab,” said Wolfe. “In fact, it wasn’t long after I left – even though it was a promotion – that I wished I had stayed. We kept our place here, and as soon as I retired, we came back.”

Huntsman agreed.

“What I remember most is that people were very dedicated, but everyone liked to have fun. And we were a big part of the community,” he said. “I mean, the community was so small. There were probably only 30,000 people in the county, and only about 5,000 in Beaufort. Everyone knew each other. I think most people liked us but they didn’t necessarily understand us. One fellow… told me that one of the locals put it this way about us: ‘Those people are nice, but their morals aren’t what they should be.’”

John Costlow, who directed the Duke lab and was mayor of Beaufort, was an oversized but loved personality. Photo: Duke University

It was a colorful place, Pivers Island, in part because of the NOAA lab, but also because of the presence of the growing Duke University Marine Lab, which occupied land sold to the Durham school by the federal government. Duke was home to a growing cadre of fine and renowned scientists, but it also had students, who lived there in dorms and did what college students do.

The late John Costlow, a fine scientist who became mayor of Beaufort and helped usher its reinvigoration through waterfront revitalization and an active and now famous historical association, directed the Duke lab. He was an oversized but loved personality, at times almost Shakespearean, and while the Duke and NOAA scientists collaborated professionally, there was a lot of social interaction, too. It was a humming, vibrant place.

As the 1980s proceeded, some things changed. For example, the federal government’s role in fisheries became more than just research; it got into management. Declining fish stocks put pressure on managers, and managers turned to NOAA for research and statistics that led to rules and regulations.

Some of the local commercial watermen began to think less kindly of the “pinfish doctors” on Pivers Island. Although Huntsman remembers most of the commercial captains as appreciative of the science and the researchers’ dedication to understanding the fish, rules were not popular.

One particularly tough issue arose when the accidental catch of juvenile fish by shrimp trawlers, called by-catch, began to be seen as detrimental to fish stocks. Eventually, North Carolina began requiring trawlers to be use devices to reduce the by-catch. Turtles also became a big issue; trawlers caught them, and most species were listed as either threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species List.

The state began requiring fishermen to install devices in their nets to allow turtles to escape. The shrimpers didn’t like them. And NOAA, through its National Marine Fisheries Service, came to be seen, at times, as a villain, responsible for the data behind rules that closed some waters at times and protected turtles from shrimp and flounder trawlers. Those issues are still controversial, but Cross, who was also on the state Marine Fisheries Commission, said he rarely thought that fishermen held him and his scientists responsible.

He also remembers big controversies over mechanical clam harvesting. It was not pleasant, he said, to be in a room when 300 clammers were vociferously clamoring for waters to be opened while others claimed the dredges and boat props were damaging the bottom. NOAA got in the middle of that a bit, before the state finally went with a rotation system that seems to have eased feelings.

A pound net fisherman passes a captured loggerhead sea turtle to laboratory staff for tagging studies. Photo source: “A History of the Federal Biological Laboratory at Beaufort, North Carolina 1899-1999” by Douglas Wolfe

The lab also was a focus of the entire coast when single-celled dinoflagellate algae, a red tide, hit the Carteret County area in late October 1987. The toxic tide shut down shellfishing waters for months, and much of the research and monitoring took place on Pivers Island.

That work was headed by Pat Tester, who came to Beaufort as an Oregon State University graduate student in 1976, married a local man and ended up working for NOAA as a scientist for 33 years.

Cross said that because of the widely known work of Tester and others, American Indians in the state of Washington eventually asked the lab for help developing a new type of test they needed for their shellfish harvests. The lab successfully integrated molecular work with the normal testing system and were able to solve the problem. Tester is now one of the best known of the lab’s many stellar scientists.

Huntsman and Cross both said that even during the years when fishermen were most angry with federal fisheries managers, most people in Beaufort, even commercial fishermen, generally treated the staff cordially. “I think they valued the fact that we were interested in the (health of) the fish,” Cross said.

He also noted that the fishermen much appreciated the lab’s crucial work to map sea grass beds, which need to be protected because they are important habitat to many marine species.

But the toughest years came later, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Huntsman and Cross said, when tight federal budgets led to staff cuts and even rumors that the lab would be shuttered.

For a time, Huntsman said, “it was like a tomb” and morale was low. But many of those on the staff had been through similar times and thought the bleak period would pass, and it did. The lab thrived again.

Part of the reason the lab survived, Cross said, was strong support from U.S. Congressman Walter B. Jones, a Farmville Democrat who headed the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee. Jones has died, but his son, Walter B. Jones, a Republican, represents the district in the U.S. House of Representatives and is also viewed as a strong supporter of the lab.

In fact, partly because of past budget “scares,” but mostly because of strong local support and backing from politicians like Jones and U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat, neither Cross nor Huntsman thinks the lab’s doors are likely to close.

President Obama recommended in his 2015 budget proposal that was released in March that the lab be closed as a cost-saving measure. A NOAA spokeswoman said at the time that the “aging facility” needed $55 million in work, “exceeding agency budget resources now and for the foreseeable future.” The infrastructure improvements needed, according to NOAA, would be an added expense on top of the $1.6 million the lab needs each year. “The president’s FY2015 budget request addresses this challenge by proposing closure of the lab,” the spokeswoman said.

But the proposal requires congressional approval, and Jones has been working to stop that from happening. Hagan has also said she’d fight the closure to protect jobs and research that helps preserve coastal marine life.

Pat Tester is one of the lab’s best known scientists. She headed the research on toxic red tide. Photo: Patricia Tester

It should be noted that Congress rarely passes budgets proposed by presidents. The “PresBud,” as it’s called on Capitol Hill, is really just a president’s suggestions for funding priorities and levels. House and Senate budget committees can use it as a framework when fashioning their budgets, but Congress can totally ignore a president’s wishes when passing a federal budget. In fact, the last two Obama budget proposals that came for a vote in the House or Senate were roundly defeated.

Still, Cross said, it’s the first time closure has been “officially” proposed, and there are employees at the lab who have not been through anything like this.

“It’s a little scary,” he said. “And although we don’t really think it’s going to happen, it could. There certainly aren’t any guarantees.”

If the worst did happen, Huntsman said, it would be tragic because the lab still plays vital roles in fisheries science and is staffed by scientists dedicated to “the pursuit of excellence.” The facility, he said, remains a jewel, surpassed by few facilities in the system, and does crucial work involving a number of important federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Sustainable Fisheries Act, the Coral Reef Conservation Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Cross agreed.

“There would be a significant impact on fisheries research, and not just because of the people here,” he said. “It’s also a unique location. Losing it just doesn’t make sense.”

Wolfe said it’s hard to accept that a lab as often recognized with NOAA awards could be considered for closure, and noted that many top and well-known scientists work there and do important work.

James Morris, for example, is one of the experts on lionfish, an exotic species that has made international news after making its way to North Carolina, the rest of the South Atlantic and the Caribbean, and becoming an unwanted but hard-to-stop permanent guest.

William Sunda received the rare honor of being elected as a fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in November 2011. His expertise is trace metal biogeochemistry in the ocean and has worked to help understand the impact of phytoplankton on world climate.

The bottom line, Wolfe said, is that the closure of the lab would be a serious blow to marine science in a region that is crucial in many ways.