North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Main graphic bar goes here
DMF Home   About DMF   Contact DMF   DMF Offices

Oct. 21, 2002

STRIPED BASS MEETING TO BE HELD OCT. 29

MOREHEAD CITY - A public meeting will be held to discuss the upcoming commercial striped bass season in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m., at Festival Park in Manteo.

Topics to be discussed include harvest allocation to the beach seine, gill net and trawl fisheries, along with the timing of the season opening and daily landing limits. Fishermen and interested public are encouraged to attend these meetings to share their thoughts on these important fisheries with the Division of Marine Fisheries.

For more information, please contact Sara Winslow, Division of Marine Fisheries, by e-mail at sara.winslow@ncmail.net or by phone at 800-338-7805 or 252-264-3911.

October 17, 2002

COASTAL HABITAT MEETING TO BE HELD OCT. 22

MOREHEAD CITY - Three North Carolina environmental rulemaking commissions will meet jointly on October 22, at 10:30 a.m., at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher to discuss coastal fisheries habitats and the threats they face.

Coastal Habitat Protection Plans are being developed by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the long-term enhancement of coastal fisheries through protection and heightened consideration of fish habitat in resource management decisions. The North Carolina Coastal Resources, Marine Fisheries, and Environmental Management commissions, will meet to discuss the status of the planning process.

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-34-02
October 2, 2002

COASTAL HABITAT MEETING TO BE HELD OCT. 7

MOREHEAD CITY - A meeting to discuss Coastal Habitat Protection Plans will be held at 10 a.m. on October 7, in room 116, Building G at the Craven Community College in New Bern.

Coastal Habitat Protection Plans are being developed by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources 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-33-02
October 2, 2002

ARTIFICIAL REEF NAMED AFTER DALE WARD

MOREHEAD CITY - Artificial Reef 455, located offshore of Brunswick County, will officially be named the "Dale Ward Reef," on Thursday, October 3 at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. ceremonies at the Southport Marina, in Southport.

The U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament, along with the Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with the Long Bay Artificial Reef Association, requested the name designation to honor Division of Marine Fisheries employee Dale Ward and recognize his outstanding contribution to conservation of North Carolina's recreational fishery resources.

Ward has been a North Carolina state employee with the Division of Marine Fisheries since 1974. He has spearheaded many recreational programs, including the North Carolina Governor's Cup Conservation Billfish Tournament Series and has worked closely organizing fishing tournaments along the coast.

The "Dale Ward Reef" (AR-455) is located in Long Bay, 7 miles south of Oak Island, off Brunswick County, NC. The material on this reef site is in 46 feet of water and consists of, 10 box cars, about 650 pieces of concrete pipe and man-hole sections, and 200 reef balls.

Artificial reefs are comprised of man-made structures such as decommissioned vessels, railroad cars, and concrete reef balls, pipe and large pieces of concrete rubble. They are called artificial reefs because they provide the same benefits as naturally occurring reefs - food and shelter for marine life. Once a structure is colonized by marine organisms, small baitfish move in, followed by larger fish prized by anglers.

North Carolina has one of the most aggressive artificial reef programs in the nation, with 39 ocean sites and seven estuarine sites. Each artificial reef is assigned a Global Position System "address" for easy location by anglers.

The DMF supervises and maintains the artificial reef sites and partners with various fishing clubs and organization to enhance existing sites. Visit http://www.ncdmf.net/reefs/index.html to find the location of the reef nearest you.

For more information about the U.S. Open King Mackerel Tournament, contact Karen Sphar at 800-457-6964.