Bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the west by the Cape Fear and Northeast Cape Fear Rivers, New Hanover County is nearly entirely surrounded by water. Located in this area is a wide variety of marine and coastal organizations in all categories-academic, governmental and industrial-comprising one of the most capable concentrations of activities in these fields to be found anywhere in the Southeastern United States.

University of North Carolina at Wilmington 
Marine Science activity at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington consist of instructional and research programs in the departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Earth Sciences, as well as specialized research programs in the University's Center for Marine Science Research. A new research laboratory was unveiled in 1995 and is regarded as a state-of-the-art facility. The mission of the center is to promote basic and applied research in the fields of oceanography, coastal and wetland studies, marine biomedical and environmental physiology, and marine biotechnology and aquaculture.

The center's primary facilities are located on a four-acre tract near the Intracoastal Waterway at Wrightsville Beach. The center maintains nine research vessels ranging in size from thirteen to twenty-nine feet with specialized equipment including a Superphantom Remotely Operated Vehicle.

The Center also serves as a host for the NOAA-sponsored National Undersea Research Center for the Southeastern United States. Based upon Competitive proposals, NURC annually supports fisheries management, ocean floor processes, and other research projects from the Gulf of Maine to the Gulf of Mexico.

The headquarters for the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve is located at the Center for Marine Science Research through a cooperative agreement with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management. The NCNERR Program manages four estuarine reserve sites as natural laboratories and coordinates research and education activities.

Cape Fear Community College
Cape Fear Community College offers a two-year Marine Technology program that prepares students to use and maintain a wide range of oceanographic data acquisition systems and to work as scientific support personnel aboard ocean-going vessels. Its facilities include the use of the college's training vessels on and off shore. On shore, laboratories are provided for marine programs.

Several Federal and State Government agencies having marine and coastal interests are either headquartered or represented in the area. Located here is the main office of the Wilmington District of the United States Army Corp of Engineers, the geographical responsibilities of which extend to all of eastern North Carolina and south central Virginia. Of particular interest to the local area are the functions of the Corps pertaining to the maintenance of navigable channels in the harbor and waterways, beach erosion and hurricane protection, and regulatory activities involving the granting of Federal permits.

There are three principals State government organizations in the area having marine interests. One is the principal office of the North Carolina State Ports Authority, which has jurisdiction over the ports at Morehead City and Southport, as well as over the facilities associated with the harbor at Wilmington, Another State agency is the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources, which is represented by field officers of the Division of Marine Fisheries and the Division of Environmental Management. The Division of Marine Fisheries conducts research and management programs of marine fish and shell fish resources, enforces the State's marine fishery regulations and controls estuarine habitat alteration by dredge and fill activities through a permit system.  The Division of Environmental Management oversees the State's water quality standards, also through a permit system. Finally, a field officer of the Division of Business Assistance within the North Carolina Department of Economic and Community Development provides advisory services to all types of businesses and industries, both marine and otherwise.

The North Carolina Marine Trades Program (MTP) of the Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC), in partnership with UNCW, provides a range of assistance to small businesses in the NC marine trades industry, administers the North Carolina Marine Trade Association (NCMTA), and conducts the annual NC Marine Expo Trade Show and Conference.

On behalf of the SBTDC, the MTP offers confidential assistance in marketing, technology transfer, international trade, government procurement, and marine regulatory compliance issues. In addition, the program administers the NCMTA, providing support related to improved marketing of marine products and services, environmental compliance issues, maritime-specific education and training, and pooled funds and association benefits related to insurance products.