Press Releases

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.

The Division of Water Infrastructure in the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality will hold training for completing and submitting water and wastewater funding and stormwater planning grant applications for the Spring 2023 funding round at five locations across the state. Application training will be offered from February 28 through March 9 at Hendersonville, Hickory, Raleigh, Pembroke and Williamston.

The N.C. Sedimentation Control Commission will meet in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building, 512 N. Salisbury St. in Raleigh, on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m., and the public may join in person, by webinar or by phone.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in-person Feb. 22-24 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New Bern Riverfront, 100 Middle St., New Bern. The meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management has certified its 50th North Carolina Clean Marina. Clean Marina is a designation given to marinas that exceed minimum regulatory requirements. Point Marina/Marine Craft in Pamlico County received certification in January and became the 50th marina to join the program.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is seeking public comment on a draft air quality permit for Pregis PolyMask, Inc., a protective tape manufacturing facility in Catawba County.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified a new state record Common Thresher (Alopias vulpinus).

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 public may listen to the meeting online or by phone.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Pender County at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 15. The hearing will be held in-person at Topsail Beach Town Hall, 820 S. Anderson Blvd., Topsail Beach, and by WebEx.