Public Hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Pamlico County scheduled for March 24

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries, through its Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program, will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish bottom and water column leases in Pamlico County at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. The hearing will be held in person at the Pamlico County Courthouse, 202 Main St., Bayboro, NC 28515 and via Webex.

The hearing will cover the following proposed shellfish lease application:

Evan R. Gadow has applied for a 0.72 Shellfish Bottom lease and Water Column lease (Nos. 25-018BL / 25-019WC) in Little Bear Creek.

The proposed lease area will be marked at each corner as a Proposed Shellfish Bottom Lease and Water Column Lease with the above numbers.

Members of the public may comment on the proposed shellfish lease 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/pamlico-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration. Those who wish to comment in person should register to speak at the meeting location between 5-6 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 at deq.nc.gov/2026-03-24-pamlico-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.

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

1. Online Comments – Submit comments through an online form at deq.nc.gov/pamlico-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.