Division of Marine Fisheries schedules public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Hyde County for March 18

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish bottom and water column leases in Hyde County at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The hearing will be held in person at the Hyde County Courthouse, 40 Oyster Creek Road, Swan Quarter, N.C. 27885 and via Webex.

The hearing will cover the following proposed shellfish lease applications:

• Good Time Charlie's Fisheries LLC (Mary E. Van Salisbury) has applied for a 2.12-acre Shellfish Bottom and Water Column lease (Nos. 25-009BL / 25-010WC) in Back Creek.
• Angel's Breath Oyster Company LLC (Michael L. D'Amelio) has applied for a 4.04-acre Shellfish Bottom and Water Column lease (Nos. 25-011BL / 25-012WC) in Rose Bay.
• Oasis Oyster Company LLC (Maxwell A. D'Amelio) has applied for a 4.09-acre Shellfish Bottom and Water Column lease (Nos. 25-013BL / 25-014WC) in Rose Bay.

Proposed lease areas will be marked at each corner as a Proposed Shellfish Bottom Lease and/or Water Column Lease with the identifying numbers listed above.

Members of the public may comment on the proposed shellfish leases in person at the hearing or via Webex. To facilitate online comments, the Division is asking those who wish to speak via Webex to pre-register at deq.nc.gov/hyde-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration. Those who wish to comment in person should register to speak at the meeting location between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the night of the hearing.

Public hearing information, including the web conference link, call-in phone number, presentation slides, and biological investigation reports, can be found atdeq.nc.gov/2026-03-18-hyde-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.

The public may also comment on the proposed shellfish leases in writing. Written comments may be submitted up to 24 hours following the hearings and may be submitted in two ways:

1. Online Comments – Use the online form at nc.gov/hyde-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-comment-form.
2. Mailed Comments – Mail to: NC Division of Marine Fisheries, Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program, PO Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557.

For more information, contact the Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program at 252- 515-5600 or SLAP@deq.nc.gov.