Press Releases

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Hyde County at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 29.

The Division of Marine Fisheries is developing Amendment 1 to the N.C. Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan (FMP).

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has awarded $1.369 million in grants for projects that will reduce air pollution from diesel-powered mobile sources.

The State Water Infrastructure Authority will meet Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 9:00 a.m. at the Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center in Raleigh.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) issued $172,000 in new rebates this month to help fund the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management and the Cape Hatteras National Seashore will host an interagency work group meeting on Feb. 27 by web conference to discuss the topic “Property Acquisition and Financial Assistance.” The public may listen by computer or phone.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) Science Panel will meet March 1 by web conference to conduct its follow up review of new sea level rise studies and information. The meeting will begin at 1:15 p.m. The public may listen by computer or phone.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) will hold a public hearing on March 16, 2023 for a Colonial Pipeline wastewater permit (#NC009000).

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will meet Feb. 23 at the Ocean Isle Beach Town Hall, 111 Causeway Dr., Ocean Isle Beach. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m., and a public comment period is scheduled for 11 a.m. At the chair’s discretion, comments may be limited to 3 minutes per person. Prior to the commission meeting, the Coastal Resources Advisory Council (CRAC) will meet Feb. 22 at 1 p.m. Following the CRAC meeting, CRAC members, Commissioners, and staff will take a field trip to the terminal groin in Ocean Isle. Both meetings and the field trip are open to the public.

A recreational spring season for ocellated (Gulf and summer) flounder will not occur in 2023, as preliminary data from the 2022 recreational flounder season (Sept. 1-30, 2022) indicates that removals of southern flounder exceeded the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) by 25,000 pounds. The 2023 recreational quota and season must be adjusted based on the previous year’s data. The current recreational TAC is based on the most recent stock assessment that indicated southern flounder is overfished with overfishing occurring.