Haint Blue

Mackenzie Todd i s a student in the Master of Coastal and Ocean Policy program at UNC Wilmington. She graduated from UNC Wilmington in 2016, with a B.S in Environmental Science. Having family near the coast, Mackenzie has always had a passion for the environment, specifically the ocean. Her research interests include marine debris, coastal policy and society’s values towards the coast. Sourse: marinediscoverycenter.org According to toxicologists from Exeter University, “ there are certain human environmental distresses so major that they are capable of destabilizing the earth’s normal function at a global scale”. These threats include the typical villains: climate change, ozone depletion, and ocean acidification. In recent years, microplastics, the vast amount of discarded plastic waste accumulating in the oceans has emerged as a new global environmental threat. Microplastics are particles with a diameter less than 1mm, which derive from progressive fragmentation of large...

Jatu Nugrohorukmi is a graduate student in Master of Coastal and Ocean Policy program with a bachelor degree in Marine Science. While working for Indonesia's government developed an interest in furthering expertise in environmental policy and coastal resource management. Upon returning to Indonesia, Jatu  will work with  decision-makers to help conserve and manage marine resources to assure sustainability. Fishing is among the oldest means of livelihood in the world. It started with a simple fishing rod to feed the family. Eventually, the need grew to feed the entire nation, and we began to build fishing fleets. Fisheries have long been an important heritage, especially in coastal counties. However, there is also the dark side of it. Fisheries are a classic example of a common pool resource problem and the difficulty in managing equitable usage among a growing population threatens the sustainability of the resource. State and national governments create rules so that...

Nick Krebs is a student in the Master of Coastal and Ocean Policy program at UNC Wilmington.  He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2014, with a B.A. in Economics.  Having grown up on North Carolina's coast, Nick has always had an appreciation for the coastal people and their relationship with the coastal environment.  His research interests include coastal energy development, environmental economics and public opinions on environmental issues. If you’re unfamiliar with the small towns, funny accents and beautiful landscapes of North Carolina’s coast, then it might not make sense at first. We want jobs, prosperity, freedom and national security, just like everyone else. We depend on gasoline for our cars - and our boats - and we use natural gas for electricity. Sixteen of the twenty coastal counties even voted for Trump in 2016. All things considered, maybe it is fair for you to wonder why anyone from coastal North Carolina would have a problem with the new ...

Christine Billings is a student in the Coastal and Ocean Policy Master’s program at UNCW and is graduating this spring.  While studying Marine Biology as an undergraduate at UNCW and working at different aquariums, Christine developed an interest in marine policy.  Through her graduate study she studied marine species management policy.  Today, more than one-quarter of all cartilaginous fish (sharks, rays, and chimeras) are threatened with extinction from human activities including overexploitation through fisheries and incidental by-catch.  According to OCEANA , the international advocacy group, one of the greatest threats to sharks is finning.  That practice of finning includes cutting off the shark's fins and throwing the body overboard leaving the shark at high risk of drowning, bleeding to death, or starving.  Finning is seen by OCEANA and many others as wasteful and inhumane.  The main driver for shark finning is shark fi...