Shellfish farmers say their industry’s positive benefits have been proven elsewhere in the country, but holds on new state aquaculture leases and a moratorium that Topsail Island residents want could sink businesses.
fisheries
Public hearing set for proposed Roanoke Sound shellfish lease
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has scheduled a public hearing in Dare County May 6 on a proposed shellfish lease in Roanoke Sound.
Public hearing scheduled for Hyde shellfish lease application
The public hearing for a shellfish lease application for more than 2 acres in Germantown Bay is set for April 29.
Agencies set to spread word on mandatory harvest reporting
Division of Marine Fisheries and Wildlife Resources Commission, the two agencies that manage state fisheries, are working to prepare recreational and commercial fishermen for the mandatory harvest reporting rules that are to go in effect Dec. 1.
Fishermen, scientists differ on whale mortality, wind energy
Opinions up and down the North Carolina coast differ on the reasons behind rising numbers of Atlantic whale deaths, but marine researchers say the science is clear.
Invasive bass species spreads to North Carolina coastal areas
Alabama bass, which are often mistaken for spotted or largemouth bass, are an invasive species to North Carolina that are now being found in the state’s coastal areas.
‘Working Lives’: Canning sea turtles, Marshallberg, NC, 1938
When the cannery that opened in Marshallberg, a little village in Down East Carteret County, in 1937 ran out of oysters, tomatoes or other crops to can, they turned to canning sea turtles, writes historian David Cecelski.
Commercial license, permit holders urged to renew early
Commercial fishers, seafood dealers, and for-hire captains can beat long lines by renewing their licenses and permits well before the June 30 deadline.
Tariffs not a long-term fix for shrimping industry: shrimpers
While U.S. shrimpers lauded the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported shrimp, their message to the government is to stop subsidizing foreign shrimp production.
Spotted seatrout harvest closure extended in state waters
Cold stuns, which can kill spotted seatrout, have prompted the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to extend the harvest closure of the fish.
Satellite tracking study aims to unlock more red drum secrets
A project now in its second year seeks to temporarily tag and track by satellite 40 of the saltwater species so popular with recreational anglers could help fill data gaps that decades of research studies have so far left open.
State ends bluefin tuna, billfish reporting requirements
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries has ended its longstanding Highly Migratory Species Catch Card program for bluefin tuna and billfish.
Doomed to repeat history: What’s in future for NC wetlands?
Guest commentary: Ignoring the past guarantees a grim future for our coastal communities, as the fishermen of Rose Bay warned decades ago. Will we listen now, or once again pay the price for failing to protect our way of life?
Public comment opens on proposed 50/50 flounder split
Advisory committees to the Marine Fisheries Commission are hosting meetings in April as part of the public comment period on a proposal to allow more recreational access to the southern flounder fishery by balancing allocation with commercial operators.
Blue crab management plan revision runs into rough waters
Proposed limits on the commercial harvest of blue crabs faces critics who say the management plan amendment is based on a benchmark stock assessment using data from 1995 to 2016.
Public hearing set on proposed Adams Creek shellfish lease
The hearing is set for 6 p.m. April 2 at the Craven Community College Havelock Campus.
