Release: Immediate
Date: Jan. 4, 2013
Contact: Patricia Smith
Phone: 252-726-7021
Fisheries, Wildlife Approve 20 Coastal Recreational
Fishing License Grants
MOREHEAD CITY — Revenues from the N.C. Coastal Recreational Fishing License will pay nearly $2 million in the coming year toward projects to help provide coastal fishing access and fisheries and habitat research.
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission today announced the approval of 20 grants, totaling $2.43 million, for the 2013 cycle. The grants are funded from the N.C. Marine Resources Fund, which receives revenues from the sale of Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses.
The grants are sorted into three focus areas. Grants that fall under the People Focus area include public education and public water access projects. Grants that fall under the Fish Focus area are fisheries research projects. Grants that fall under the Habitat Focus area include projects that enhance, protect or research fisheries habitat.
People Focus area has five grants totaling $1,210,333. They include:
- Wildlife Resources Commission’s Jacksonville Boating Access Area – $650,000
One-year grant that provides much needed boating and fishing access in Onslow County.
- N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Enhanced Artificial Reef Web Page – $120,000
Multi-year grant for a web-based and hand-held reef guide to provide coastal reef fishing guides for ocean, inshore and estuarine waters, including fishing access to oyster sanctuaries.
- N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Recreational Fishing Digest – $30,500
Multi-year grant for a publication to provide saltwater anglers with easy access to recreational size and creel limits.
- N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Angler’s Guide – $76,500
One year grant to publish a guide to provide educational opportunities regarding ethical angling and fisheries management to anglers.
- Town of Vandemere’s Waterfront Park Initiative – $333,333
Multi-year grant to purchase property to construct a boating access area
Fish Focus area has five grants totaling $479,825. They are:
- National Oceanic Atmospheric Association’s Beaufort Bridgenet Survey – $41,500
Multi-year grant to process a five-year backlog of unsorted samples and incorporate the resulting larval abundance data into the existing dataset, which would subsequently be made available for inclusion in stock assessments. Partnered with the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries.
- N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Mark Recapture Study of Cape Fear Striped Bass – $36,035
Multi-year grant to research the sustainability of the Cape Fear River striped bass population.
- N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Sources of Mortality and Movements of Weakfish Tagged in North Carolina – $116,646
Multi-year grant to gather data to provide increased understanding of factors affecting weakfish stocks.
- N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ N.C. Red Drum Cooperative Tagging Program – $12,000
Multi-year grant to continue red drum tagging for determining exploitation rates.
- N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Assessing Critical Habitat of Anadromous Fishes Using Telemetry Techniques – $273,644
Multi-year grant to identify critical spawning habitat, map migration routes and spawning grounds and potentially improve fishery-independent surveys for these species.
