Release: Immediate
Contact: Patricia Smith
Date: Jan. 25, 2018
Phone: 252-726-7021

Commercial Fishing Resource Funding Committee to meet Feb. 1

MOREHEAD CITY — The N.C. Commercial Fishing Resource Funding Committee will meet at 1 p.m. Feb. 1 at the Department of Environmental Quality’s Washington Regional Office, 943 Washington Square Mall, Washington.

The committee is scheduled to discuss funding options for the Commercial Fishing Resource Fund, which receives partial proceeds from commercial fishing license sales.

In 2014, the N.C. General Assembly approved a fee increase for six commercial fishing licenses. The fee increase began in fiscal year 2015-2016. Under the law, proceeds from the increased fees goes into a Commercial Fishing Resource Fund.

The fund pays for observer coverage to fulfill the state’s obligations under incidental take permits for sea turtles and Atlantic sturgeon under the federal Endangered Species Act. Any additional money left in the fund is to be used for projects to develop and support sustainable commercial fishing in the state.

Spending for these projects must be approved by the Marine Fisheries Commission and the Commercial Fishing Resource Funding Committee, which is made up of six commercial fishing representatives. The Marine Fisheries Commission has delegated its funding decisions to a Marine Fisheries Commission Commercial Fishing Resource Fund Committee comprised of members of the commission holding the three commercial fishing seats.

The meeting is open to the public. A full agenda can be found here.

For more information, contact Beth Govoni, Grants program manager with the Division of Marine Fisheries, at 252-808-8015 or Beth.Govoni@ncdenr.gov

nr-16-2018

Release: Immediate
Contact: Patricia Smith
Date: Jan. 24, 2018
Phone: 252-726-7021

Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial
Fishing License Eligibility Board to meet

MOREHEAD CITY — The Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will meet at 10:30 a.m., March 28 at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City.

The board will consider applications deemed complete and submitted by March 9.

The board meets two to three times a year to consider license applications. For directions on applying for a commercial fishing license, go to http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/commercial-fishing-license-information and click on the Eligibility Pool Application link.

For more information, contact division License Eligibility Clerk Ann Bordeaux-Nixon at 910-796-7261 or Ann.Bordeaux-Nixon @ncdenr.gov.

nr-15-2018

Release: Immediate
Contact: Patricia Smith
Date: Jan. 18, 2017
Phone: 252-726-7021

Public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in
Pender County rescheduled for Feb. 28

MOREHEAD CITY — The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has rescheduled a public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Pender County that was cancelled due to inclement weather. The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Surf City Visitor’s Center, 102 North Shore Drive, Surf City.

Falling Tide Farms, LLC (Keith Walls, agent) of Wilmington has applied to lease 0.69 acres of shellfish bottom in Green Channel.

Elliot Snow Piver, Jr. of Wilmington has applied to lease 0.98 acres of shellfish bottom in Green Channel.

Bradley Newland of Wilmington has applied to lease 0.91 acres of shellfish bottom in Green Channel.

Franz Hueber and David Ollivier of Wilmington have applied to lease 1.12 acres of shellfish bottom and water column in Green Channel.

Maps of the proposed leases, with corresponding lease numbers, can be found here.

The public may comment on the proposed leases at the meeting or in writing. Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. Feb. 27 and should be submitted to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, Shellfish Leases, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557.

The application file and biologist report for the proposed leases are available for inspection during office hours at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Headquarters Office at 3441 Arendell St. in Morehead City.

For more information, contact Michael Graven, with the division’s Habitat and Enhancement Section, at 252-808-8061 or Michael.Graven@ncdenr.gov.

nr-14-2018