MOREHEAD CITY – Seats are still available for a symposium that will showcase projects funded in the first five years of the Coastal Recreational Fishing License Grant Program.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will host the event May 31 at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center, 203 South Front St., New Bern.
The symposium is free and open to the public. However, pre-registration is required. Sign up by visiting the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ website athttp://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf//crfl-symposium-registration-form. The registration deadline has been extended to May 25.
The symposium will feature presentations from grant recipients for numerous projects, including:
· An N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries program to collect recreational fishing data;
· An N.C. State University study of the movement and mortality of spotted seatrout;
· A University of North Carolina at Wilmington project that tested the use of text messaging to submit catch and effort fishing reports from a wireless phone; and
· The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s construction of several boating access sites.
There will also be exhibits of some of the educational projects funded by the grant program.
A full agenda is available on the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ website athttp://portal.ncdenr.org/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=a3d31ec8-c3ce-4952-8276-04b76bdb2da2&groupId=38337.
The grant program was established in 2007 to fund for projects that aim to manage, protect, restore, develop, cultivate and enhance the marine resources of the state. The program receives revenues from the sale of Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses.
In the five years since its inception, the grant program has awarded approximately $21 million to 68 projects.
For more information, contact grant program coordinator Tiffany Frazier at 252-808-8004 orTiffany.Frazier@ncdenr.gov.
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