Contact: Patricia Smith
Date: May 16, 2008
Phone: (252) 726-7021

NEW WEB-BASED NEWSLETTER DISHES THE SCOOP ON MARINE FISHERIES ISSUES

MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries today released a new Web-based newsletter designed for the general public.

The first issue of Fish Eye News focuses on the agency’s efforts to implement the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.

“Identification and protection of essential fish habitats are critical to the division’s mission of sustainable marine resources,” said Division Director Louis Daniel.

Implementation of the CHPP is one of the division’s top priorities.

The newsletter also includes an article about a division push to get telephone numbers when anglers purchase the Coastal Recreational Fishing License. Another article discusses a concern that pharmaceuticals that flow into the rivers from waste treatment facilities could be affecting fish.

The division plans to release an edition of Fish Eye News four times a year to draw attention to issues affecting marine fisheries in North Carolina and to promote a better understanding of agency functions.

The newsletter can be found on the division Web site at http://www.ncdmf.net/fisheye/2008/MAY_fisheye.html.

For more information, contact division Public Information Officer Patricia Smith at 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632 or Tricia.Smith@ncmail.net.