Four rotational harvest cultch sites in the Pamlico Sound are to remain open until March 31, unless it’s deemed necessary to close these 10-acre sites sooner, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries announced Friday.
The sites are part of the N.C. Oyster Fishery Management Plan’s amendment 5, “which balances harvest opportunities with sustainability by allowing harvest on managed cultch planting sites while protecting oyster habitat in other areas of the Pamlico Sound,” the division said. Cultch sites are oyster reefs the planted in places with the right environmental conditions.
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The division rotates which cultch sites are open to mechanical harvest to provide continued opportunities later in the season while supporting the division’s “extensive cultch planting program and long-term management goals for the resource.”
The following sites are open from sunrise to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, in accordance with existing gear, tagging and size limit requirements, and are subject to daily harvest limits of adjacent areas as outlined in a proclamation:
- Up to 15 bushels a day in Turnagain Bay no. 1 in the Neuse River management area.
- Up to 10 bushels a day in Jones Bay No. 1 in the Neuse River management aArea.
- Up to 15 bushels in Crab Hole No. 2 in the Northern Dare management area.
- Up to 15 bushels a day in Swan Quarter No. 2 in the Pamlico River management area.
These sites are marked with buoys and orange flags. Coordinates for the sites are in the press release.
The division reminded commercial fishermen and the public that mechanical oyster harvest seasons were closed:
- Jan 9 in the bays of the Neuse River, Pamlico River and northern Hyde management areas.
- Jan. 16 in the open waters of the Pamlico River and Neuse River areas.
- Jan. 30 in the northern Hyde area.
For more information the state’s oyster management plan, visit the division’s website.
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