• Launched a five-year North Carolina Salt Marsh Action Plan for protecting, restoring, and migrating salt marsh habitats.
• Completed dozens of shoreline stabilization projects totaling nearly 3 miles.
• Constructed 40 acres of oyster sanctuary habitat at Maw Point and Brant Island, expanding the oyster sanctuary network to 17 sanctuaries covering 449 acres. Those sanctuaries now support 480 million oysters in the Pamlico Sound oyster sanctuary network, filtering 2.6 trillion gallons of water daily. This milestone marks a 30% increase with 131.5 million new oysters added in just one year.
• Removed 2,463 lost crab pots from coastal waters as part of the marine debris program, employing coastwide crews that collected an additional 265 tons (530,000 lbs.) of debris, totaling almost 4.1 million lbs. since Hurricane Florence.
• Led the removal of 45 abandoned vessels, totaling 400,000 lbs., contributing to 151 removals since 2020.
• Planted 60,000 marsh plants at the wetland restoration site at Carolina Beach State Park, completing 10 acres of wetland restoration there.
• Retrofitted 35 impervious asphalt parking stalls with permeable pavement at UNCW’s Randall parking lot, reducing stormwater runoff by 81,500 gallons per year in line with the Bradley-Hewletts Creek Watershed Restoration Plan.
• Acquired 1,430 and 590 acres on the Newport River to facilitate a large-scale, three-phase wetland restoration project.
• Held or partnered on almost 150 events, reaching over 8,000 students and adults to raise awareness about coastal issues and engage the community in conservation efforts.

These are just a few of our 2024 highlights and we look forward to accomplishing even more in the new year!

In 2024, the Federation collaborated with RTI International to conduct an economic analysis of the last ten years of oyster sanctuary construction to understand its return on investment. The final analysis indicated that for every dollar invested in oyster sanctuary work, there was a $1.71 return on investment, illustrating the significant impact our oyster sanctuary program has had on our coastal economy. You can read more of their findings on our website.

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