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Contact: Patricia Smith WORKSHOP SLATED ON STRATEGIC HABITAT AREAS MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a workshop Oct. 8 in Edenton to seek public input on areas preliminarily identified for designation as strategic habitat areas in northeastern coastal waters of the state. Those who live in communities around and/or are familiar with estuarine and ocean waters between Virginia and Oregon Inlet (including the Albemarle Sound and its tributaries), are invited to attend and discuss the identified areas, and others, that that provide exceptional fisheries habitat. The N.C. Coastal Habitat Protection Plan calls for the state to identify, designate and protect strategic habitat areas. The concept is to determine what areas of fish habitat are most important, so that different state agencies can focus non-regulatory conservation and restoration efforts on them. Information provided by the public will help with the development of final strategic habitat area nominations for the region. The division hopes to present proposed strategic habitat areas in the Albemarle Sound region to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission by the end of the year. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 8 at Swain Auditorium in Edenton. For more information, contact Anne Deaton at (910) 796-7315 or anne.deaton@ncmail.net or the Marine Fisheries Commission Office at |