The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission is set to consider limits on shellfish lease acreage in identified high-use areas when it meets later this month.
The public may listen to the meetings 9 a.m. each day, Feb. 25-26, by phone or listen and view presentations online.
The commission agreed in August 2020 to ask the state Division of Marine Fisheries to study the concentration of shellfish leases in given water bodies and bring recommendations on potential user conflicts to the February meeting.
“Shellfish leases can often conflict with public trust uses, which makes balancing these issues and determining compatibility challenging and somewhat subjective,” according to division documents. “A multifaceted approach is required to address user conflict issues related to shellfish leases in North Carolina.”
The state’s Marine Fisheries Commission passed regulations Thursday that it hopes will dramatically reduce the risk to highly endangered right whales from lobster pot and gillnet buoy lines.
The state plan is intended to dovetail with a federal plan from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reduce the risk of entanglement in fishing lines by 60%. The administration released its plan for public comment last month.
The state Division of Marine Fisheries estimated that the new measures will make gear entanglements in state waters 76% less likely for whales.
“Massachusetts stepped up to the plate today and did something significant for North Atlantic right whales,” said Gib Brogan, a senior campaign manager for the marine conservation organization Oceana. “By reducing the risk of entanglement in fishing gear, which is a leading cause of death for this species, Massachusetts set its lobster industry apart today and showed itself as a leader in ocean conservat
Lobstermen Banned from Most MA Waters Until Late Spring to Protect Endangered Whales capeandislands.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from capeandislands.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.