Press Releases

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is asking people to please be on the lookout for blue land crabs, Cardisoma guanhumi, and to report sightings. Blue land crabs are a non-native species to the Carolinas that look like an enormous fiddler crab.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) will hold a specially called meeting Sept. 21 at the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center, 203 South Front Street, New Bern. A public input and comment period is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. At the chair’s discretion, comments may be limited to three minutes per person. The meeting is open to the public.

The State Water Infrastructure Authority will meet Tuesday, Sept. 19 at the Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center in Raleigh. The public may attend the meeting in person or listen online or by phone.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission is looking for commercial and recreational fishermen, scientists, and other interested parties to sit on various fisheries advisory committees.

The Division of Marine Fisheries is developing Amendment 5 to the N.C. Eastern Oyster Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and Amendment 3 to the N.C. Hard Clam FMP. The division will hold a public scoping period Sept. 11-22 to solicit input on potential management strategies for the upcoming amendments and discuss stakeholder priorities. Scoping is the best opportunity for the public to inform the plan.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources continues to monitor a fish kill in the Neuse River, located in an area that includes New Bern near Union Point and Bridgeton, downstream to Riverdale. Fish kills are common and can occur in the summertime, particularly under the conditions present this summer. Although there has been no indication of a chemical or toxin component in conjunction with the fish kill, residents should always avoid water where a fish kill is present.

State recreational water quality officials have now lifted the precautionary advisory against swimming issued due to Tropical Storm Idalia in all coastal waters. Three sites remain under advisory due to bacteriological testing.

The State Water Infrastructure Authority will meet Tuesday, Sept. 19 at the Steve Troxler Agricultural Sciences Center in Raleigh. The public may attend the meeting in person or listen online or by phone.

State officials today lifted the precautionary advisory against swimming issued due to Tropical Storm Idalia more waters, but a few areas remain under advisory. Also, an advisory was issued at a sound-side site in Dare County.