Press Releases

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is partnering with the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort to offer a series of presentations on the history of four different fisheries in North Carolina. The presentations are part of the Division’s celebration of 200 Years of State Marine Fisheries Management and Conservation in North Carolina.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is inviting the public to follow the Division of Marine Fisheries’ new accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board will meet by teleconference at 10:30 a.m. on April 5. The board will consider license applications that are deemed complete and submitted by March 13.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold an in-person public hearing on a proposed shellfish lease in Pamlico County at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 2 at the Pamlico County Courthouse, Commissioner’s Room, 202 Main Street, Bayboro.

The National Marine Fisheries Service is extending the public comment period on its Dec. 22, 2022, notice of receipt of North Carolina’s Incidental Take Permit application and conservation plan to address sturgeon and sea turtle interactions in the state’s estuarine anchored gill net fishery. The public comment period will be extended by 30 days to Feb. 22, 2023. Comments previously submitted do not need to be resubmitted.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) launched a new webpage that provides information on all DEQ funding programs in one place, along with a searchable list of currently open applications for grant opportunities.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Carteret County at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 15. The hearing will be held in-person at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City, and by WebEx.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified a new state record White Grunt (Haemulon plumierii).

On December 22, 2022, National Marine Fisheries Service published in the Federal Register (87 FR 78659) the Notice of Receipt and request for public comments for North Carolina’s Incidental Take Permit application and conservation plan to address sturgeon and sea turtle interactions in the state’s estuarine anchored gill net fishery.

The 30-day public comment period on North Carolina’s Incidental Take Permit application and conservation plan to address sturgeon and sea turtle interactions in the state’s estuarine anchored gill net fishery begins today.

Five advisory committees to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in January. The meetings will be held by WebEx and streamed on YouTube.

A new harvest slot limit of 18 to 25 inches will take effect Jan. 1, 2023 for both the recreational and commercial striped bass fisheries in the Albemarle Sound Management Area.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries wants to remind the public to report any cold stunned spotted seatrout they may see in North Carolina coastal waters.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is reminding the public of the annual blue crab harvest closures.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is accepting public comment on proposed temporary management of the striped mullet stock.