When it comes to shellfish, people want in on the act, and clam and oyster culture in North Carolina claim more adherents than any other aquaculture combined.
Fort Macon, built between 1826 and 1834 in Carteret County, is a popular tourist spot and a witness to decades of North Carolina history, including the April 25, 1862, Civil War battle.
The Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds of North Carolina are dynamic mergers of water, wind, and currents that prompt the growth of many fish species. Edgerton discusses how fish migration into these sounds from birth in the Gulf of Mexico.
Although little acknowledged, the Great Atlantic Coast Storm of 1962 that hit North Carolina during Ash Wednesday, is considered one of the most destructive storms in the state's history.
Once upon a time, the shallow waters of Currituck Sound were clear, drinkable, and harbored abundant fish. Thanks to the native submerged seagrasses, ecology in the Sound flourished. Through the years, the quality of Currituck Sound has hinged on the survival of the Sound's seagrass beds, and its ups and downs.
The striped bass is a species in danger due to overfishing and poor water quality. But in Aurora, North Carolina a hardy hybrid is striped bass is doing well.
Although in the early 1980s fish were plentiful in Currituck Sound, now, with pressures from commercial and recreational fishing as well as pollution, fishing has been stunted in the Sound.
North Carolina ecologists view wetlands as the sustainers of the well-being of coastal waters, while the timber industry, companies such as Weyerhaueser, Union Camp, and Champion International, view wetlands as places for the harvesting and growing of timber.
New inspection methods for seafood are criticized by some of the best in the business. Many fish sellers fear they will be put out of business if the new standards are put in place.
Discovered in 1755, the 16,600 acres of crystal clear waters in Lake Phelps forms one of the best-kept secrets of the North Carolina state park system. Edgerton discusses the origin of Lake Phelps and the treasures it cultural and ecological treasures it contains.
Lake Mattamuskeet, at 40,000 acres, is the largest natural lake in North Carolina. The lake is both economically and ecologically valuable, but activities like draining and canaling have altered the lake over time.
Nestled between the bustling beaches of New Hanover County, Masonboro Island is a dream-come-true for naturalists. And recent designation as part of the North Carolina estuarine reserve system guarantees an ecologically bright future.
Lake Mattamuskeet shines like a silver bowl in the North Carolina swamp land, and has long been the fall and winter home of millions of migratory birds. Now biologists and refuge officials are attempting to maintain the quality and abundance of migratory birds from the threat of hunting and human encroachment.