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COASTAL HABITAT MEETING TO BE HELD DEC. 10
NR-47-2001 MOREHEAD CITY - A meeting to discuss Coastal Habitat Protection Plans will be held at 10 a.m. on December 10, at the Craven County Agriculture Extension Center, 300 Industrial Drive, New Bern (Clarks exit off U.S. Hwy. 70, west of New Bern).
Coastal Habitat Protection Plans are being developed for the long-term enhancement of coastal fisheries through protection and heightened consideration of fish habitat in resource management decisions. Representatives from the North Carolina Coastal Resources, Marine Fisheries, and Environmental Management commissions, will discuss the status of the planning process at this meeting.
For additional information, contact Mike Street at the N. C. Division of Marine Fisheries, Morehead City (252-726-7021 or 1-800-682-2632) or e-mail him at mike.street@ncmail.net.
NR-46-2001 MOREHEAD CITY - The mechanical clam harvest season will open at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, December 3, in Carteret and Onslow counties, with approximately 4,600 acres of new clamming area opening in Pamlico Sound.
A similarly sized clamming area will close along the northern tip of Core Sound. Scientists will monitor the two areas and when clam stocks rebuild in northern Core Sound, managers will reopen that region and close the Pamlico Sound area.
The rotation of these two water bodies was a recommendation of the Hard Clam Fishery Management Plan, which was approved by the Marine Fisheries Commission last August.
According to David Taylor, head of the fisheries management section of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF), there is a lot of anticipation from fishermen and resource managers about the Pamlico Sound opening. "We have successfully rotated clamming areas between the New and White Oak rivers for the last 20 years," said Taylor. "We look forward to seeing what the Pamlico Sound area will yield."
While the new clamming area may be good news to fishermen, poor market conditions are putting a damper on the possibility of increased catches. Seafood dealers encouraged the DMF to open the season later in hopes that prices would rise; however, fishermen, who have already had a below-average shrimp harvest, requested the season opening on December 3.
A restricted harvest will be allowed from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, in the following areas:
Areas Daily Harvest Limits
Bogue Sound,Newport & North rivers 15 bags (3,750 clams)
Core and Pamlico sounds 20 bags (5,000)
New River 25 bags (6250).
Mechanical harvest will be prohibited on December 24 and 25, 2001.
For more information, please contact David Taylor, DMF- Morehead City, at 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632.
NR-45-2001 MOREHEAD CITY -- The Marine Fisheries Commission will hold a business meeting December 4 and 5 at the Ramada Inn in Kill Devil Hills.
The meeting is open to the public.
A public hearing and meeting will also be held at 7 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the same location.
For more information, contact Jess Hawkins by e-mail at Jess.Hawkins@ncmail.net or by calling 1-800-682-2632 or 252-726-7021.
Click on http://www.ncdmf.net/mfc/advisor.html to review meeting summaries of past commission meetings.