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North Carolina Sea Grant
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Ecosystems

Apr 3, 2023

Are East Coast Anglers Catching Tunas, Sharks, and Billfishes Farther North?

Trends from a longstanding recreational survey can help anglers, tournaments, and communities plan for changing fisheries.

Mar 20, 2023

Which Artificial Reefs Do Popular Fish Species Prefer?

A new study shows when and where different fish frequent reef habitats.
image: Atlantic cracker.

Feb 6, 2023

Will the Big Fish Have Enough to Eat?

A new model shows that in some cases the amount of available forage fish won't meet the needs of predator fish.
image: striped bass.

Jan 16, 2023

What Keeps Striped Bass Populations from Rebounding?

Here's why the species hasn’t recovered in the Neuse River.
a humpback whale breaching

Jan 2, 2023

How Do Humpback Whales Behave Around Busy Atlantic Seaports?

New research reveals what happens when humpback whales and boats of all sizes frequent the same high traffic areas at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
image: A 21 kiloton underwater nuclear weapons effects test, known as "Operation Crossroads (Event Baker)," conducted at Bikini Atoll in 1946. Credit: U.S. Army Photographic Signal Corps.

Dec 12, 2022

How Would a Nuclear War Affect Our Climate and Oceans?

Scientists ran simulations on a variety of nuclear war scenarios — and some of the potential impacts would last thousands of years.
image: piping plover.

Dec 5, 2022

Can We Really Protect the Piping Plover?

A new study looked at the long-term mating habits of these birds before and after protective measures went into effect.

Oct 31, 2022

How Much Ocean Floor Off the Southeast Coast Do Natural Reefs Occupy?

And how much more territory belongs to natural reefs than to artificial reefs?
image: A ruddy turnstone on the shore of the Mosquito Lagoon, Florida. Credit: Kate Perez/CC-BY-SA 4.0.

Oct 24, 2022

How Do Restored Oyster Reefs Stack Up Against Live Oyster Reefs?

Any angler who has spent time in the estuaries of North Carolina has seen bags of oyster shells and layers of repaired oyster reefs. As you’ve steered your vessel around restored reefs, have you ever wondered whether they actually function like natural reefs?

image: Southern flounder.

Oct 17, 2022

Is Climate Change Making More Flounder Male Than Female?

A new study looks at why populations of southern flounder are declining in the Southeast and the Gulf of Mexico.