Morehead City, North Carolina

===Inshore and offshore recreational fishing===
Morehead City and the surrounding area is an excellent venue for fishermen of all varieties. There are many opportunities for [[recreational fishing]] when in Morehead City because of its pristine [[estuary|estuaries]] and close proximity to the [[Continental Shelf]] and [[Gulf Stream]]. The Gulf Stream is a powerful, warm and swift Atlantic Ocean current that originates at the tip of [[Florida]] and follows the coastline of the eastern United States to [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] before crossing the Atlantic Ocean, bringing large sport fish species such as the [[Atlantic blue marlin]] and other [[billfish]] close to the North Carolina coastline.

Established in 1957, the [[Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament]] draws large crowds of sporting enthusiasts of all types to Morehead City each year to witness some of the largest Atlantic blue marlin catches in North America.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebigrock.com|title=Big Rock - Blue Marlin Tournament|website=www.thebigrock.com|access-date=2 April 2018}}</ref>