Articles

The year was 1952 and the lad was happy for his dad to be working a 32 ft oyster boat that winter. At the tender age of five he had not yet picked out his favorite name for his dad who would come to be called Padre. So for the young lad to have Padre around almost every night was a great joy...

Reward increased for information on dead pelicans
Jacksonville Daily News By: SUZANNE ULBRICH
The reward being offered for information on pelicans found dead on North Topsail Beach has increased.
Toni O’Neil, the director of Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary, said the reward has been raised.....

The benefits of an offshore hurricane
By: Bill Hitchcock

Well, here I am sitting along the coast of North Carolina-In Morehead City to be exact. We have Hurricane Bill way out half way across the pond. All hurricanes must be taken seriously and kept with a watchful eye-But there can be a few...

Jacksonville Daily News
A commercial fishery is closing for the season. Division of Marine Fisheries Director Dr. Louis B. Daniel III announced effective 11:30 p.m. Sunday it is unlawful to possess, sell or offer for sale non-sandbar large coastal sharks taken commercially in the Atlantic Ocean....

11/29/10 – The cutterhead pipeline dredge, the Savannah, encountered mechanical issues a few days ago after working through Thanksgiving Thursday; but should be back in operation in a day or two. Approximately 1,000 feet of beach has been nourished and the “y-line” configuration has been...

Japanese whalers to be chased by Godzilla
By Josh Jerga/ http://www.news.com.au
THE Federal Government's willingness to crack down on illegal whaling will be tested if Sea Shepherd's newest and only Australian registered vessel is rammed or attacked by Japanese whalers.
The Sea Shepherd...

Pelican deaths at North Topsail deemed intentional
TOPSAIL VOICE By Ken Clarke
N. TOPSAIL BEACH – A rash of pelican deaths at North Topsail Beach has led town officials to ask for assistance from state and federal officials.

According to North Topsail Beach Town Clerk and Public Information.....

Editorial: The big picture on bluefin
Three years ago, then-NMFS chief Bill Hogarth proposed a fishing moratorium for the Eastern Atlantic bluefin at a meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

Obviously and regrettably, he did not have enough support to...

Injured boater taken to OMH following rescue
Jacksonville Daily News
An injured boater was transported to Onslow Memorial Hospital Tuesday after a joint rescue effort by the Coast Guard and Marine Corps.
A Coast Guard rescue boat crew and a Marine Corps rescue helicopter crew responded to a...

I just got the following e-mail:
Mr Hitchcock,

Some fellow sailors
lost their dog overboard, and I was wondering, if you could help in anyway get the word out? I figure the pup might have found a fishermen or turned up in someone yard. the dog had a floatation device so I feel he has a great.....

Wilmington Star News
What was that? No one knows.
Off and on, for several weeks running, residents across Southeastern North Carolina have reported hearing loud booming noises in the distance, some strong enough to shake their houses. Residents reported the booms again on Wednesday and Thursday...

Controversial ocean activists launch first African chapter
Dispatch Online
THE fight to save endangered South African marine resources is about to turn into a war with the launch of a controversial “eco- terrorism” group that has become world famous for its unconventional conservation...

Coast Guard rescues two off of New River Inlet
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Two people were rescued from a boat taking on water this afternoon off of New River Inlet. Onslow County dispatch contacted Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector North Carolina about the boaters in distress at 2:44 p.m. Wednesday,...

ASMFC Striped Bass Board Approves Addendum II
Coastal Commercial Quotas Remain Unchanged; Juvenile Abundance Index
Management Trigger Improved
Charleston, SC – The Commission’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board approved Addendum II to Amendment 6 to the Interstate Fishery Management...

Spot fishing is lifelong love for some


Photo by Paul Stephen Buy photo Junior O'Quinn at the Atlantic Seafood Retail Market in Hampstead on Friday, Oct. 29, 2010.

Brandon Sneed/ StarNews Correspondent
Whether young or old, many area fishermen have a love for spot fishing around here....