Bonehenge Whale Center

05/14/2026

WELL DONE, EMERALD ISLE 👏👏 Your move, Carteret County!

Emerald Isle commissioners have approved a text amendment banning the release of balloons within town limits, officials said.The change to the town’s ordinances

05/14/2026

05/12/2026

Did you catch our segment during last week's episode of "Best of Our State" on on PBS North Carolina? If not, check it out on the PBS North Carolina website (link in the comments).

We're proud to see our work highlighted so beautifully!

03/25/2026

Mark your calendars now for the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort's 8th annual Whales and Whaling Symposium: March 19, 2027!

03/21/2026

OUTSTANDING!

It's official: the number of North Atlantic right whale calves born this season is the highest in 17 years!

On March 14, 2026, an aerial survey team from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission saw right whale 4617 and her new calf approximately a quarter mile off Crescent Beach, Florida. She is 10 years old and this is her first known calf. She was last seen on February 12, without a calf, making this baby a month old or less. This new baby marks the 23rd calf this season, the highest number since 2009!

Learn more about this newest addition:https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/north-atlantic-right-whale-calving-season-2026

Photo: North Atlantic right whale 4617 and her first known calf swimming approximately a quarter mile off Crescent Beach, Florida. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken under NOAA permit 26919. Aerial survey funded by the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and NOAA Fisheries.

01/21/2026

A voluntary “Right Whale Slow Zone” area is in effect off Cape Hatteras through Monday, Feb. 3.

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The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries on Tuesday announced a new "Right Whale Slow Zone" east of Cape Hatteras in a press release.

On Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, the public detected the presence of right whales off of Cape Hatteras, according to the release. The slow zone is in effect Jan. 19-Feb. 3.

Other slow zones are also currently in effect in the Atlantic Ocean off other states, pictured in the graphic.

Off Cape Hatteras, the zone includes waters bounded by:

Northern boundary: 37°27′ N

Southern boundary: 34°57′ N

Eastern boundary: 75°22′ W

Western boundary: 75°58′ W

"Mariners are requested to avoid or transit at 10 knots or less inside the following Dynamic Management Areas and Slow Zones where endangered right whales have been detected," the NOAA Fisheries release said.

According to the release, "Vessel strikes are one of the primary causes of injury and death for right whales. Slower speeds are known to reduce the severity of impacts to whales when strikes occur and may provide boat and vessel operators an opportunity to avoid a collision."

(Graphic courtesy NOAA Fisheries)

12/21/2025

Well done, Atlantic Beach! 👏👏🚫🎈

ATLANTIC BEACH — Following a request from a Raleigh high schooler who frequently visits the coast, the Atlantic Beach Town Council passed an ordinance Monday to ban balloon releases.

10/30/2025

Hey! That's us!

08/14/2025

Join us Aug. 21 to talk cetaceans!

08/01/2024

Way to go, Dare County! 👏👏👏 Now this just needs to happen statewide! 🙅‍♀️🎈

Debbie Swick of Southern Shores, who's passionate about marine life, led an effort that has made it illegal to release balloons from Duck to Hatteras Village.