The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is closed to the public Thursday, Sept. 2, in preparation for the approach of Hurricane Earl. Check the Aquarium website after the storm passes for the date and time of reopening.

Get all the angles on surf fishing in the Aquarium’s 20th annual Surf Fishing Workshop, Oct. 8-10. Expert instruction and hands-on practice cover rods, reels, weights, line, tackle, knots, bait, fish identification, catch and release, cast netting, reading the surf, locating fish from the beach and caring for your catch.

This comprehensive course provides a great beginnin for novice fishermen and a thorough refresher for all skill levels.

The cost is $150 per person, with a 10 percent discount for North Carolina Aquarium Society members. The course begins with sessions Friday evening and culminates with a Sunday day trip to Cape Lookout National Seashore so anglers can put their new skills to use — see more details and the schedule. Ferry transportation is included in the course fee.

Space is limited and advance registration is required. Call the Aquarium at 252-247-4003, or toll-free at 800-832-3474 for more information or to register.

Professional chefs team up with the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores again this fall to dish out tips and techniques in the  Succulent Seafood series.

Island Grill in Atlantic Beach sets the scene on Sept. 13 for the first gathering of the fall-winter season. The Island Grill also hosts Succulent Seafood on Oct. 11 and Nov. 8. Fishtales at Town Creek Marina in Beaufort hosts Succulent Seafood on Sept. 27 and Nov. 1. Other dates and participating restaurants will be announced later.

The courses, offered at local restaurants on selected Mondays, feature the area’s top chefs serving up tricks of the trade and delicious samples. Additionally, an Aquarium Educator explains how to select fresh, seasonal seafood and provides information on conservation.

The sessions begin at 2 p.m. and conclude with a taste-test. The fee is $15 per person, per class. Advance registration is required - 252-247-4003, ext 257 or 225. Space is limited so early registration is advised.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores invites businesses and organizations to sponsor trick-or-treat booths at the fifth annual “Trick or Treat Under the Sea (TOTUS).” The 2010 Halloween event  includes two nights - Wednesday, Oct. 27 and Thursday, Oct. 28. The fun begins at 4:30 p.m. Booths remain open for trick-or-treating continues until 8:30 p.m.; ticket sales end at 7:30 p.m.

Indoor trick-or-treating for children at decorated booths throughout the Aquarium is the highlight of  TOTUS. Sponsorship provides a fun way for businesses and groups to interact with the community.

Booth space is available for $50 for a single night or $80 for both nights. Sponsors provide treats for the children attending. Sponsors also decorate their booths, which are automatically entered in a decoration competition. Sponsors bring their own tables, decorations and power cords.

The Aquarium closes at 1 p.m. for set-up and decoration, and reopens for TOTUS at 4:30 p.m. Public admission is $6 per person; no charge for children ages 2 and under. Aquarium Society memberships, discounted tickets, complimentary passes and admission paid before 1 p.m. cannot be used for admission to this special event.

Booth sponsorships are available first-come, first-served before the Oct. 8 reservation deadline. For more information or to register, call Special Events Coordinator Becky Davis at 247-4003, ext. 291.

The Aquarium is looking for some helping hands to deliver its conservation message. The Volunteer office is hosting an open house on Saturday morning, Sept. 25, for potential future volunteers. Anyone age 18 and older interested in possibly volunteering is invited to drop by between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to meet the staff, talk with current volunteers and get an overview of the various volunteer positions.

Aquarium volunteers assist with visitor education, exhibit interpretation, special events and other Aquarium activities. In turn, volunteering offers hands-on learning and social opportunities.

“Aquarium volunteers are conservation ambassadors who share with our visitors a message of animal and habitat preservation,” said Aquarium Volunteer Coordinator Chris Carlin. “Additional perks are the friendships made and the fellowship enjoyed. Volunteering at the Aquarium provides food for the brain and fun for the spirit.”

Additional benefits include discounts at the Aquarium Gift Shop and on special activity programs.

No prior experience is necessary. The Aquarium provides training in environmental education and animal handling. Flexible schedules are available. Contact Chris Carlin at 252-247-4003, ext. 286 for more details on the open house or volunteer opportunities. Read more about volunteering at the Aquarium. The Aquarium also has a summer Junior volunteer program and other opportunities for high school students.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores on Monday celebrated its two millionth visitor since reopening in 2006 after a major expansion.

At 10:16 a.m., Aquarium Director Allen Monroe welcomed Gray and Tara Sherrill and sons Charlie, age 6,  and Sam, age 3. Aquarium staff greeted them with cheers, a kazoo band and a special appearance of the Aquarium’s Sunny the Shark mascot.

The Sherrills, from Greensboro, didn’t know about the countdown and were pleasantly surprised with the fanfare - and a package of prizes.  “We just decided to come and let the boys see the fish this morning,” Mrs. Sherrill said.

It was the Sherills’ first visit to the expanded Aquarium. They made the outing with friends Jennifer Cross-Green and Michael Green and their two young sons, also of Greensboro, who are regular summer visitors.

“It’s great to see so many families come to the Aquarium,” Monroe said. “Whether it is Mom and Dad with the kids or grandparents bringing their grandchildren, they all enjoy spending time together while they look at the beautiful and interesting fish. Plus they get a chance to learn more about the fascinating aquatic environments of North Carolina.”

(more…)

An art exhibit at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores spotlights the rich diversity of life in

Blue Heron - Donna Slade

estuaries, where freshwater and saltwater mingle. North Carolina’s estuaries are some of the largest on the East Coast.

High Tide on the Soundside features works by members of the Raleigh-Durham Chapter of the Colored Pencil Society of America. Visitors can enjoy the art through Sept. 30. The exhibit is free with admission or membership.

Freshwater rivers feed estuaries from the mainland as saltwater pushes through the inlets between barrier islands. Many plant and animal species thrive at this confluence. Estuaries serve as essential breeding and nursery areas for many species of fin fish and shellfish as well as feeding grounds for many birds.  High Tide on the Soundside captures images of mammals, birds, fish and other creatures that call estuaries home.

Now open!

Explore why some fish are fat and others flat, why some are prickly and others are slippery, in the new exhibit, Fintastic! Weird and Wonderful Adaptations for Survival in the Sea.

Fintastic showcases distinctive teeth, tails, scales and other characteristics that help different fish species find food or evade predators. Fintastic also delivers information through several senses, making it uniquely accessible to people with vision impairments. In addition to aquarium tanks with live specimens of flounder, sargassum fish and other species, Fintastic includes life-sized models built for hands-on exploration.

Touching the spadefish, flounder, tarpon, hammerhead shark, lookdown school, black drum, cowfish or moray eel activates an audio guided tactile tour of each. The audio directs visitors where to place their hands to feel fins, mouth shape, eye position, body contours and other special features that work in the fish’s favor, depending on where it lives, what it eats and, in some cases, what likes to eat it.
(more…)

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores takes family fun to new heights with the daily program, Winging it - Birds in Flight.  Pelicans, hawks, owls and other raptors and water birds native to North Carolina soar overhead in Big Rock Theater, responding to cues from Aquarium Educators. The program offers visitors the rare chance to see birds on the wing at close range.

Like all the Aquarium’s activities, the birds deliver important conservation messages along with family-friendly entertainment.

The 45-minute program begins at 11:30 a.m. daily. Tickets are $4 per person in addition to Aquarium admission. Seating is limited. Tickets are sold at admissions the day of the show only. Sorry no advance sales or reservations, and memberships and discounts do not apply.

The featured bird species are found in various parts of the state, and most travel long distances according to the seasons.  Showcasing migratory birds emphasizes the connections among wide-ranging habitats, and the necessity for comprehensive conservation. Some of the birds in the program have permanent injuries that prevent their release back into the wild. Others were bred in captivity or were obtained from other zoos and aquariums.

2nd place, Aquariums category, Shasta Hartley. Click to see all the winners.

Photographers immersed themselves in North Carolina’s aquatic environments and came up with some vivid images for the North Carolina Aquariums annual photo contest.

Kyle Humphrey of Kure Beach took first place in the “At the Aquariums” category with a compelling photo of striped bass at the Aquarium at Fort Fisher.

Shasta Hartley of Dudley, N.C. took second with a colorful image of an Eastern newt at the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. A bobwhite pair at the Aquarium at Fort Fisher earned Karen Doody of Morehead City third in this category. Lee Moore of Atlantic Beach earned honorable mention with a lionfish image taken at the Aquarium at Fort Fisher. (more…)