Hearing April 12 on Dare County proposed shellfish leases

The state Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing on five proposed shellfish leases in Dare County at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 12.

The public can attend the meeting in-person at the Dare County Government Center in Manteo or online via WebEx.

The following are the proposed leases:

• Kinnakeet Oyster Co. LLC has applied for a 7.35-acre shellfish bottom lease and water column lease off Avon Harbor.
• Kinnakeet Oyster Co. LLC has applied for a 5.59-acre shellfish bottom lease and water column lease off Avon Harbor.
• Kings Point Oysters LLC has applied for a 2.53-acre shellfish bottom lease and water column lease in Sandy Bay.
• Kings Point Oysters LLC has applied for a 1.33-acre shellfish bottom lease and water column lease in Sandy Bay.
• William M. Clower and Aaron W. Hopkins have applied for a 0.70-acre shellfish bottom lease and water column lease in Blossie Creek.

The public may comment on the lease applications in person at the hearing or by WebEx. To speak via WebEx register by 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, at https://deq.nc.gov/dare-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration. Those who wish to comment in-person should sign up on-site the night of the hearing.

Public hearing information, including the web conference link, call-in telephone number, presentation slides, and biological investigation reports can be found at https://deq.nc.gov/news/events/dare-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.

The public may also comment on the proposed shellfish leases in writing until 5 p.m. Thursday, April 13, through an online form available at https://deq.nc.gov/dare-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-comment-form, or mailed to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, Shellfish Leases, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557.

For more information, contact Marla Chuffo, with the division’s Habitat and Enhancement Section, at 252-808-8048 or Marla.Chuffo@ncdenr.gov.