Anglers who catch Bluefin Tuna and billfishes in North Carolina no longer need to report those catches to the state. As of today, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has discontinued its Highly Migratory Species Catch Card Program.
Topics Related to NCDENR
The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve will hold Spring local advisory committee meetings April 22-23 for the following reserve sites. All meetings are in-person only and open to the public.
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will accept public comment on draft Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 4 from April 1 to April 30. Draft Amendment 4 would expedite the sector allocation shift to 50/50 (commercial/recreational) by one year to 2025.
The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council expanded the moderate drought classification to include 70 counties in the latest advisory released Thursday.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (NCDEQ) Division of Coastal Management (DCM) will hold a public hearing on April 16 from 5-7 p.m. at the Currituck Extension Center located at 120 Community Way, Barco, to hear public comment on North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and North Carolina Turnpike Authority’s (NCTA) Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) application for the proposed Mid-Currituck Bridge project.
Changes to 18 Marine Fisheries Commission rules became effective today. Among the changes, five of the rules pertain to data collection and harassment prevention for the conservation of marine and estuarine resources, and one rule makes the administration of shellfish leases more efficient. Changes to the remaining rules removed outdated requirements and make minor conforming and clarifying changes.
The Department of Environmental Quality will hold a hearing next month for the adoption of proposed rules 15A NCAC 01X .0101-.0106, .0201-.0203, and .0301-.0303, “Express Permitting,” as required by S.L. 2023-134, s. 12.13.(b).
The hearing will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March18, 2025, in the Ground Floor Hearing Room of the Archdale Building in Raleigh. Online attendance will also be available via Webex.
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s (NCDEQ) Division of Coastal Management (DCM) invites communities and contractors to apply to participate in Phases 1 through 4 of the N.C. Resilient Coastal Communities Program (RCCP), which aims to equip communities with additional capability to understand and enhance coastal resilience at the local level. DCM estimates that approximately $2 million will be available for Phases 1 and 2 in FY 2025-2026 and approximately $6 million will be available for Phase 3 and Phase 4 projects in FY 2025-2026. The application deadline for both community and contractor applications is April 25, 2025, by 5 p.m.
Two State Water Infrastructure Authority committees will meet via Webex on Wednesday, March 19 as indicated below. The public may listen to the meeting online or by phone.
In the latest advisory, the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council classified five counties in Eastern North Carolina as experiencing severe drought, or D2 conditions: Carteret, Craven, Jones, Onslow and Pamlico counties. Fifty-eight counties are classified as experiencing moderate drought, or D1 conditions. Another 36 counties are classified as abnormally dry.