Marine Fisheries Commission to meet Nov. 19-20 in Wrightsville Beach

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet Nov. 19-20 at the Holiday Inn Resort Lumina, 1706 N. Lumina Avenue, Wrightsville Beach, N.C. 28480. The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on YouTube.
 

The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19 and at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20. Public comment sessions will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, and at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20.

For those who choose to speak at in-person public comment sessions:

·         Sign up at the hotel prior to the public comment period.

·         To accommodate as many speakers as possible, the chair will limit each speaker to 3 minutes.

·         Those making comments will be asked to speak only once, either Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, but not during both public comment periods.

·         Those who wish to submit handouts to the commission during the public comment period should bring at least 12 copies to the meeting.
 

The public may also submit written comments via:

·         An online form on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings webpage.

·         Mail to Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting Comments, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557

·         Dropped off at the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Morehead City Headquarters Office at 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City.

The deadline to submit written comments for this meeting is 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17.

The Commission is scheduled to vote on:

·         Adoption of management strategies developed as part of the Adaptative Management Framework for the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3.    

·         Nominees for the obligatory seat for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.

·         Final approval to amend Marine Fisheries Commission rules 15A NCAC 03I .0101, .0114, 03O .0501-.0503 pertaining to permit requirements

·         Final approval to amend Marine Fisheries Commission rules 15A NCAC 03I .0101, 03O .0201, .0207, .0208, .0210 for conforming changes to franchise and shellfish lease requirements.

Other agenda items include:

·         A presentation on the history of Southern Flounder management in North Carolina through Amendment 5.

·         An analysis of Southern Flounder in North Carolina waters using the Division’s fishery-independent sampling data.

·         A presentation on upcoming management changes for Striped Bass in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers.

·         An overview of reporting options available for the new reporting requirements for recreational and commercial fishermen that go into effect Dec. 1, 2025.

·          A demonstration of the new electronic License and Statistics Annual Report

·         An update on the proposed framework and timeline for the 2026 Revision to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.

A full agenda and meeting materials, as well as link to the YouTube livestream, are posted on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings webpage.