The NCCOS Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research is located on Pivers Island in the middle of the second largest sound system in the U.S. and due west of the thermal mixing point of tropical and temperate waters offshore.

Ranked "America's Coolest Small Town" in 2012 by Budget Travel Magazine, Beaufort, N.C., also boasts marine science research and education at the federal, state, and academic levels. Marine science, in particular, has become an economic driver for this coastal community. In response, the NCCOS Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research recently hosted a tour for Beaufort's community leaders and business executives to showcase how local science and emerging technologies are used to inform decisions that safeguard coastal resources. The event highlighted NCCOS's unique research and science partnerships with the National Marine Fisheries Service and the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. The program was part of Leadership Carteret, a training institute where distinguished community leaders learn to better serve the public interest by providing access to community resources and professional networks.

The NOAA Beaufort Laboratory houses research from NCCOS and the National Marine Fisheries Service, including: invasive species, sea level rise, protected species, stock assessment, harmful algal blooms, seagrass injury, habitat studies, and much more.

For more information, contact jenny.vanderpluym@noaa.gov.