A white metal monster rolls across the broad expanse of Cape Point, following a sandy road along southern Hatteras Island. Its giant wheels sink into the wet sand as it approaches the ocean, but it does not slow down. It heads straight into the surf, wheels churning the water, and soon it is in deep […]
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New Web site will focus on Outer Banks news
Rob Morris, the former North Carolina editor for The Virginian-Pilot, has started a new Web site, www.outerbanksvoice.com, which will focus on news of the Outer Banks and will provide a forum for folks who live, work, own property or simply have an interest in Dare County and the northern Currituck beaches. “Our goal is to […]
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Record of decision on Bonner Bridge replacement is delayed again
Upon hearing of this latest delay during discussions with North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Dare County officials expressed extreme disappointment since a Record of Decision (ROD) was expected any day with a promise that construction would begin this year. The most recent delay comes following a decision by NCDOT to alter the Preferred Alternative, […]
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Outer Banks Angling: No winter blues on the islands; instead it’s a winter blitz
It has been a relatively slow couple months of fishing on the Banks. In fact, the past four winters or so haven’t been that great for most anglers. The hardened speckled trout fishermen seemed to find entertainment, but this year, even the speckled trout have been slim pickings. The weather patterns are our worst enemy. […]
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Inspector General’s report is critical of NOAA’s fisheries law enforcement
The Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a report yesterday that was stingingly critical of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s enforcement of fisheries regulations. NOAA is the federal agency responsible for enforcing U.S. fishing laws and regulations. The report is the result of a seven-month investigation that was begun in mid-2009 […]
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Saving Serendipity
The beach cottage Serendipity is without a doubt the second most photographed structure on Hatteras Island ? after the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. And the move of the house out of harm?s way on the oceanfront ? or in the ocean more often than not lately — has been almost as well documented as the move […]
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The Fisherman’s Quilt is made from T-shirts that celebrate the island’s fishing community
By PAT GARBER By PAT GARBER “There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” That is what Water Rat told Mole in Kenneth Grahame’s classic childhood story, “The Wind in the Willows,” published in the late 1800s. More than 100 years later, on Dec. 29, […]
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Ocracoke’s oystering tradition is ready to make a comeback
Gathering the oddly shaped shellfish Crassostrea virginica, better known as the common oyster, has long been an important part of Ocracoke Island’s fishing tradition, and freshly gathered oysters one of her finest culinary delights. Ocracoke fisherman and shellfish researcher Gene Ballance explains that for his grandfather, Elisha Ballance Sr., oystering was the main source of […]
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Marine Fisheries moves toward gill net ban in large areas of coastal waters
Fishermen would see large sections of coastal waters closed to larger mesh gill nets from May 15 through Dec. 15 under a proposal developed by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries. The proposed restrictions were presented in a Jan. 11 letter from Louis Daniel, state Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) chief, to Roy Crabtree, […]
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Hatteras seafood dealer aims to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa By SUSAN WEST
Hatteras seafood dealer Jeff Aiken reached the Mt. Kilimanjaro summit Friday afternoon, Jan 29. In an interview before he began the week long climb, Aiken said he wanted to use the opportunity to raise public awareness about the challenges facing commercial fishing families and to raise funds for Commercial Fishermen of America, a coalition of […]
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