image: overwash with Summer 2025 Coastwatch cover.

Science and News

image: Austin Gray in the lab.

A New World for Microbes

Investigating the Plastisphere

Former Sea Grant fellow Austin Gray is exploring what happens when microbes meet microplastics…

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image: bonnethead shark.

Why Are Bonnethead Sharks on the Move?

What 44 Sharks from the North Edisto River Can Tell Us

Water temperatures may hold the answer…

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image: view from inside a well.

PFAS, Arsenic, and Trade-Offs

North Carolina’s Deeper Well Solution

“Comparatively, a bedrock well is the most cost-effective option…”

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image: blue crab.

Will North Carolina’s Blue Crabs Go Extinct?

The Future of the State’s Most Valuable Commercial Fishery

Environmental stressors may push blue crab populations to their breaking point…

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image: snapping turtle.

Turtle Road

Coastal NC Turtles — and More — from Bland Simpson

“He had just tried to get a snapper off of Old Greensboro Highway with a stick and his bare hands and arms, and that beast had bitten and slashed him till he looked as if he had been in a knife fight…”

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image: ocean over wash.

Flooding, Hurricanes, and Community Perspectives

Carteret County and Ocracoke, North Carolina

“If you’re really trying to make change in a place, you have to know the people. Otherwise, it’s just not going to work…”

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image: The view from the ruins of the old lighthouse (built in 1875) at Cape Three Points, Ghana. Credit: Friedmut Abel/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0.

Across the Atlantic

Marine Protected Areas: Ghana’s Dance with Conservation Efforts

Funding cuts, policy delays, and climate pressures threaten to derail Ghana’s first marine protected area, putting livelihoods and biodiversity at risk…

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image: irrigation for farmland.

Waste Not, Want Not

Recycling Wastewater for Potable Use

A new project explores wastewater renewal…

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image: dolphinfish.

Hook, Line & Science

The Award-Winning Series for Anglers

Landing the biggest dolphinfish, finding black sea bass, predicting tournament winners, and more…

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The Rip Currents Safety Poster

Print it out, put it up, or share the link. And save a life…

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image: Choice Fish Cakes.

Mariner’s Menu

Summertime Delights

Enjoy summer with choice fish cakes and easy shrimp rolls…

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Coastal Currents

News and Research

The South Atlantic Release Rodeo kicks off, land-based sensors offer a new look at coastal flooding, and more…

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image: cover of Spring 2025 juxtaposed on open field.

SPRING 2025

Rendering of a Woolly Mammoth.

Off the North Carolina Coast

Shipwrecks, Turbidities, and Other Wonders

You never know what you’ll find if you take a ride in a submersible and explore the unique creatures and geological features along the ocean floor…

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A Diamondback Terrapin on the beach.

Gearing Up

How to Keep Terrapins out of Blue Crab Pots

Small gear adjustments can have a big impact…

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Falls Lake fishing pier.

Safeguarding Water

Legislative Gaps and Innovative Solutions

A new approach to watershed health protects the Falls Lake drinking water supply for 500,000 North Carolina residents…

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Boats on the coast of Ghana.

Across the Atlantic

Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing: The Silent Threat to Oceans and Livelihoods

Can Ghana reverse its declining marine resources?

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image: discarded plastic.

PET Predators

Can New Bacteria Transform Ocean Cleanup?

Chemical and biomolecular engineer Nathan Crook and student Tianyu Li at NC State University are developing a microorganism that can break down and absorb plastic waste…

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Temperature map of Earth.

Vital Signs

NOAA’s Global Climate Report

Last year brought unprecedented high temperatures and numerous severe weather events…

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Lumber River rescuers

Networks of Recovery

Findings from the JustWater Project

From Matthew to Helene, the North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network has connected organizations and vulnerable communities…

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Oysters with lemon.

Climate Change in the Napa Valley of Oysters

Global Warming and NC’s Most Important Shellfish

Rising seas and warming temperatures pose challenges for a critical, eco-friendly industry…

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Johnna Brooks holds two fish.

Hook, Line & Science

Red Snapper Hideaways, Lunar Luck, and More

The latest research and news from the award-winning series for anglers…

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River affected by algal bloom.

The Guide to Coastal Living

Algal Blooms: How to Stay Safe

How can we avoid harmful algal blooms?

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Crab Cakes with Wasabi Sauce.

Mariner’s Menu

Springtime Specials

Here’s how to enjoy Crab Cakes with Wasabi Sauce and Cream of Shrimp Soup…

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image: rip currents safety poster.

The Rip Currents Safety Poster

Know Your Options

Share this poster and save a life…

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ECU students study NC cropland.

Currents

News and Updates

A novel crop resilience project earns new funding, and much more…

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image: Ron Hodson with one of his hybrid striped bass.

Letter from the Executive Director

Spring 2025: Renewal and Growth

Susan White remembers a Sea Grant giant…

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image: SPRING 2025 Coastwatch cover.

WINTER 2025

Accounting for the Unaccounted

Thousands Hoped for Any Word of Family and Friends After Helene

Volunteer operators for a Community Emergency Response Team updated a database that provided responders with GPS coordinates to check as they searched mountains, valleys, and riversides…

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image: Frying Pan Tower.

Teachers on the Tower (video)

Frying Pan Tower: A Platform for Educators

What better way to give educators more tools to teach about the ocean than to take them out into the Graveyard of the Atlantic?

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image: oysters ready to eat.

A Booming Industry — And a New Threat

North Carolina Oysters Face Unexplained “Mass Mortality Events”

A cutting-edge project is addressing “the biggest hindrance to sustainable oyster aquaculture development in the Southeast.”

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image: Melinda Martinez in the field.

Early Warnings

Satellite Imagery May Help Protect Coastal Forests from Climate Change

A former North Carolina Sea Grant-Space Grant Fellow is pioneering a new method that will inform conservation planning...

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image: Coastal Conference participants mingle.

The 2024 NC Coastal Conference in Review

A Look Back at the Biggest NC Sea Grant Gathering to Date

The 2024 North Carolina Coastal Conference in November brought together over 330 coastal enthusiasts…

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image: flooded park.

Managing Coastal Nitrogen Pollution

Lessons from New Bern

Engineered solutions help to maintain coastal resilience and protect local economies…

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Environmental Sentinels

Microplastics and Metals in Oysters

“Our goal is to provide scientific data in context that can aid decision-making and dispel misinformation.”

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image: smokestacks.

Mind the Gap

Findings from the UN’s 2024 Emissions Gap Report

As emissions reach all-time highs, far more stringent goals are necessary to keep global warming under a threshold that would make heightened climate impacts unstoppable…

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image: river otter.

Hook, Line & Science

Anglers vs. River Otters, Why We Fish Where We Do, and More

Here’s the the latest science and news for anglers…

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image: flooding in Beaufort.

Vital Signs: New Sea Level Rise Projections for North Carolina

The NC Coastal Resources Commission Science Panel’s Report

A new report predicts marked sea level rise on the northern, central, and southern NC coast by 2050 and 2100…

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image: monarch butterfly on a flower.

The Guide to Coastal Living

From Shore to Shady Spots: Plants That Thrive on Our Coast

Eco-friendly native plants and smart gardening practices can help to create healthy and beautiful coastal landscapes…

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image: fishers near Figure Eight Island.

Public Trust

Bland Simpson Recounts “A Fisherman Challenged at Rich Inlet”

“If you don’t let us fish in peace, the Attorney General’s office and the News & Observer will soon learn there is a private North Carolina ocean beach not open to the public.”

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image: Sauteed Tuna Steaks with Tarragon.

Mariner’s Menu: Winter Wonders

Sautéed Tuna Steaks with Tarragon, Baked Clams with Garlic Butter, and Oyster Fritters

Enjoy these seasonal favorites from North Carolina Sea Grant’s popular online seafood guide…

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image: Kayelyn Simmons, former Knauss fellow, scuba-diving.

Coastal Currents

News and Opportunities from North Carolina Sea Grant

Two open fellowships, a new paid apprenticeship in the commercial seafood industry, a look ahead at an ocean acidification education project, and more…

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image: Coastwatch cover of Fabien Cousteau juxtaposed against an underwater seascape.

FALL 2024

The Catastrophic Power of Hurricane Helene

North Carolina’s New History of Record-Breaking Storms

Only six years separate Florence and Helene, but these “once-in-a-thousand-year” hurricanes have much in common. Along with other storms that have hit our state, Helene offers lessons — and a warning…

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image: underwater diver.

The Undersea Vision of Fabien Cousteau

Building the “ISS of the Ocean”

PROTEUS™ — the undersea equivalent of the International Space Station — will speed scientific discovery and may even spur medical breakthroughs…

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image: Coast Guard rescues people, pets near Riegelwood, N.C.

The Guide to Coastal Living

Storm Readiness and Recovery Basics

Here’s practical information for you and your community during and after a major storm…

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image: loggerhead sea turtle.

Tracking Loggerheads

The Mysteries of Sea Turtle Migration

Satellite tagging on Bald Head Island reveals that loggerheads cover long distances up and down the East Coast — and beyond…

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image: house damage, Atlantic Beach after Hazel.

Hurricane Hazel

October 15th, 1954

“She had torn the south-facing beaches of Brunswick County all to hell and gone, wrecking the crab-and-fish houses and putting great schooners up into yards in Southport, and thrown fishing boats onto main streets in Morehead City and Beaufort.”

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image: inside a poultry CAFO.

Mapping the Impacts of North Carolina’s Poultry Industry

A Novel Solution to a Lack of Public Data

How do concentrated animal feeding operations and their waste impact our state’s waterways?

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image: high school student collecting trash.

Plastic from the Mountains to the Sea

Researchers and Community Members Join Forces on Plastic Pollution in North Carolina

From plastic trash along creeks and rivers, to microplastics in waterways — and in our bloodstreams — plastic pollution is present on every continent, including Antarctica…

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image: largemouth bass.

Hook, Line & Science

Shrinking Fish, Saving Manta Rays, and More

Scientists discover a global phenomenon — shrinking fish — but the reasons behind it aren’t clear cut…

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image: stream.

Coastwatch Classroom

NC Stream Watch’s Indoor-Outdoor Classrooms

“We have goals to raise awareness about natural resource careers earlier, rather than waiting until people are in college — trying to spark those little nuggets of this is a possibility early on.”

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image: Buttery Shrimp.

Mariner’s Menu

For Autumn Appetites

Here’s what to make this Fall — with videos about how to make it…

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image: Madeline Payne.

Coastal Currents

News and Research Updates

New fellows, new hires, and exciting new projects…

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image: starry night over water.

The Contamination of Indigenous Lands

BONUS CONTENT FROM THE SUMMER 2024 ISSUE

Health issues are becoming more frequent for “The People of the Falling Star.” The answers may lie at their feet…

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image: Coastwatch Summer 2024 cover superimposed over a ghost forest.

SUMMER 2024

image: Ghost forest.

North Carolina’s True Ghost Story

A Tale of Carbon, Salt, and Sea Level Rise

A new study is using satellite imagery to predict the next ghost forests...

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image: starry night over water.

Soul of the Soil

The Contamination of Indigenous Lands

Health issues are becoming more frequent among the Waccamaw Siouan Tribe. The answers may lie at their feet…

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image: John Mallette.

Catching up with John Mallette

The Untold Stories of African Americans in North Carolina’s Seafood Industry

“As long as I was around a boat and I was on the water, I really didn’t care about anything else.”

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image: researchers at unearth evidence of ancient oyster fisheries.

Ancient Oyster Fisheries

Old Practices and What They Reveal

Indigenous peoples sustained massive oyster fisheries for 5,000 to 10,000 years — or longer…

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cover image: Seashells of NC.

Seashells of North Carolina

Excerpts from the Updated and Expanded New Edition

Beachcombers and researchers alike have revered the original publication for decades. North Carolina Sea Grant and UNC Press have just released the latest edition…

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Hook, Line & Science

The Award-Winning Series for Anglers

Saving the red snapper, angling around windmills, and the night life of oyster toadfish…

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image: Damaged Bulkhead.

The Guide to Coastal Living

Bulkheads: Challenges and Tips

Bulkheads sometimes are cheaper to install, but the long-term costs of maintenance can be steep…

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image: eel ladder and spillway.

1,000 More Miles

New Fish Passage Facilities Restore Access to NC Habitat

Updates at the Blewett Falls Hydroelectric Project now allow American eel and other fish to access previously blocked upstream riverine habitat…

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image: forest fire.

How Climate Change Affects Your Health

Infographics on Air Quality and Heat Waves

Global warming impacts human health, especially during summertime…

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image: rip currents safety poster.

Rip Currents Safety

Know Your Options

Over a million people have seen this poster in 2024. Share it and save a life…

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image: biofouling species.

Vital Signs: Caribbean Creep

Warming Waters and the Spread of New Species

More species are moving into the Mid-Atlantic…

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image: Hurricane Florence from space.

Safety Alert: Hurricane Season Is Here

Tips, Tools, and Resources

New guidance from NOAA advises people not to focus on a specific storm category. A storm’s “scale” only reflects the strongest winds near the center of the storm — not potentially life-threatening flooding from storm surge or rain…

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Image: NC Coast aerial view

Special Announcement: The NC Coastal Conference Returns to the Coast

Registration is now open.

This year’s conference will again feature a wide array of presentations that address pressing issues for our state’s coastal communities and ecosystems…

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image: grilled scallops kabob.

Mariner’s Menu

New Cooking Videos

Here’s what to make — and how to make it.

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image: aerial view of marsh and seashore.

Letter from the Executive Director

The Latest Updates from North Carolina Sea Grant

June marked the start of another hurricane season, and NOAA has projected above-normal Atlantic hurricane activity through November 30th…

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image: man lays next to largest "sea dragon" fossil discovered.

Creature Feature: Conan O’Brien Worms, Sea Dragons, and Ocean Aliens

BONUS CONTENT from the SPRING 2024 issue

Recent research proves the ocean contains no shortage of curiosities…

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image: Coastwatch Spring 2024 cover.

SPRING 2024

mountains and a glacier

Ice to Ocean

As glaciers melt and seas rise, new findings about ground elevations at the coast confirm that the battle between land and sea has become increasingly one-sided — and that an ecological transformation of coastal NC has begun.

image: blue land crab emerging from hole.

What’s the Deal with that Big Blue Crab on the Beach?

A new species has arrived in North Carolina — and you might even find one in your garage.

image: Surf City aerial view.

Can Fish Bones Protect Us from the Sun?

Researchers investigate a sustainable alternative to harmful UV filters in sunscreens.

image: graphic of a magnifying glass over water with bubbles that say "PFAS".

Emerging Contaminants: Mystery in the Cape Fear

New testing reveals eight previously unrecorded forms of PFAS

Are Fishing and Boating Regulations Protecting Endangered Whales?

The North Atlantic right whale is a critically endangered species, with fewer than 400 estimated alive today. Two leading causes of right whale mortality are fishing gear and vessels.

image: flooded residential street at sunset.

Sunny with a Chance of Floods

When people see photos of Carolina Beach’s flooded Canal Drive, they might assume those waters lapping against the doorways of a residential neighborhood mean the area had just experienced a severe storm or hurricane. Locals know, however, it is just as likely the deluge was not related to a storm at all but rather an example of “nuisance” flooding.

image: bow of a sailboat heads towards a cloudy horizon.

The Straits by Skipjack

From the short dock along Lida Pigott’s cut in Gloucester off the north side of The Straits, on as blustery a Sunday summer afternoon as one might want, the 28-foot skipjack Natty Lou headed out, her mainsail reefed.

image: parasitic worm and lobster eggs.

Creature Feature: Conan O’Brien Worms, Sea Dragons, and Ocean Aliens

Recent research from the Caribbean to the U.K. to Antarctica proves the ocean contains no shortage of curiosities.

image: factory smokestacks release smoke into the air during sunset.

Vital Signs: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Hit Highest Levels

50 Leading Scientists on “Unprecedented” Human-Caused Global Warming

image: aerial view of a living shoreline.

The Guide to Coastal Living

The Guide to Coastal Living provides North Carolinians with quick information about how to address coastal hazards and how to live in a coastal environment. The series launches with this look at living shorelines — a strategy that provides invaluable benefits to our communities and coast.

image: rip currents safety poster.

The Rip Currents Safety Poster

Share this poster. Print it out and put it up — and save a life.

image: offshore wind turbines in front of a sunset.

Hook, Line & Science

Fishing at Wind Farms, Live Imaging Sonar, and More…

image: Hurricane Florence.

Warming Waters

50-year Trend in Atlantic Hurricane Escalation

New research shows changes to Atlantic hurricanes over the past 50 years, with storms developing and strengthening faster…

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image: tidal marsh.

Coastwatch Classroom

The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Tidal Marshes

This lesson plan for high school students includes an interactive slideshow, map, worksheets, and more…

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image: crab and shrimp salad on lettuce bed.

Mariner’s Menu

Crab and Shrimp Salad, Fresh Deviled Clams, Broiled Soft Crabs with Basil-Butter Sauce, and Baked Grouper Fillets with Mushrooms…

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image: researchers at unearth evidence of ancient oyster fisheries.

Ancient Oyster Fisheries

A Sneak Peek at the Summer 2024 issue

Indigenous peoples sustained massive oyster fisheries for 5,000 to 10,000 years — or longer…

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WINTER 2024

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Shifting Shores

Coastal hazards, such as hurricanes and sea level rise, continue to increase with climate change — and shoreline modifications, dredging, and boating wakes can exacerbate erosion and property damage.

Cedar Point Tideland

Degrees of Change: Why Water Temperatures Matter

Estuaries are transition zones where land meets water, ocean meets rivers, and saltwater meets fresh. Climate change and shifting water temperatures are among the most pressing considerations for ecosystem resiliency, and estuaries are no exception.

image: Gulf of Guinea rescue operations.

Climate & Society: Is Climate Change Creating More Pirates?

Dwindling fish populations from warming waters could increase maritime crime.

image: Buxton, NC, shoreline.

Vital Signs: Seven More Feet?

Projections show that U.S. sea levels will increase the most along the East Coast and Gulf Coast — and that a failure to curb emissions could raise waters up to seven feet by the end of the century.

image: Sunrise over the Neuse River.

Crossing the Mighty Neuse

“That boat’ll take more than you will!” — Cap’n Jim Rumfelt

image: the original Chicamacomico lifesaving station.

Treasures of Chicamacomico

Mention shipwrecks and treasures along the North Carolina coast, and most folks think of gold coins or ships’ cannons. But near Rodanthe, one treasure has more to do with the lives saved in shipwrecks off Cape Hatteras…

image: moonrise over the atlantic.

Sixty Miles Off-Shore

A Sea Grant fellow shares his experience aboard a science vessel — deploying traps, analyzing fish, and acclimating to life on the Atlantic.

image: Green sea turtle. Credit: Ali Bayless / NOAA Fisheries.

Are We Accidentally Catching More Sea Turtles Than We Thought?

A new model shows when and why turtles along the Southeast coast are at risk.

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Bridging the Digital Divide

A collaborative research team led by Duke University’s Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability is working to lessen the digital divide for small rural water utilities and helping them fulfill reporting requirements.

image: oyster toadfish. Credit: Allison Scott/NOAA.

Hook, Line & Science: Are Fish Noisier Today Than They Used to Be?

Using a new acoustic recording device, a research team captured the underwater soundscape and compared it to recordings that the U.S. Navy made decades ago.

image: Pamlico River, water's edge.

Ecosystems Solutions

Reducing the Nutrient Load: How an Alternative Method of Wastewater Treatment Could Help the Tar-Pamlico Recover

image: crabs.

Behind the Business

Perspectives from a Seafood Insider

image: Broiled Striped Bass with Mediterranean Spice Rub.

Mariner’s Menu

Featuring Parmesan Clams, Broiled Striped Bass with Mediterranean Spice Rub, Fried Shrimp and more…

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image: Katie Mosher.

Letter from the Executive Director

In 1998, Katie Mosher began what would become a 25-year commitment to Coastwatch magazine and North Carolina Sea Grant.

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Most Popular

Sharks, sea level rise, the ISS of the Ocean, and a “river of time.” Articles, features, new and old favorites. Here’s what our readers have been perusing the most…

image: The view from Hatteras Lighthouse with the sky and landscape in background to show the stretch off Hatteras. — The infamous Diamond Shoals stretch off Hatteras, with shallow sandbars always in flux.

Browse by Subject

No matter what you’re looking for, there’s a good chance we’ve covered it over the last 45 years.

image: Alligator in the grass. — An alligator rests in a yard off of Hwy 133. Credit: Ken Blevins/Star News.