The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission is scheduled to hold its quarterly business meeting on August 20-21 at the Hilton Raleigh North Hills, located at 3415 Wake Forest Road in Raleigh. The event is open to the public and will be livestreamed on YouTube.
The meeting will start at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, August 20, with a public comment session set for 6 p.m. On Thursday, August 21, proceedings will begin at 9 a.m., followed by another opportunity for public comment at the same hour.
Those wishing to provide comments in person can sign up at the hotel before the designated comment period. Each speaker will have up to three minutes and may speak only once during either of the two sessions. Anyone providing handouts should bring at least twelve copies for distribution.
Written comments are also being accepted through an online form available on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings webpage, by mail to Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting Comments, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557, or by dropping off materials at the Division of Marine Fisheries’ headquarters in Morehead City. The deadline for written submissions is 4 p.m. on Monday, August 18.
During the meeting, commissioners plan to vote on several items including “Adoption of Amendment 4 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. If approved, Amendment 4 will expedite the sector allocation transition to 50/50 (commercial/recreational) in 2025 rather than in 2026 as scheduled in Amendment 3,” according to official information. Other votes include setting an annual cap on Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses available through the eligibility pool and electing a vice chair.
Additional agenda items involve discussions about management issues for possible inclusion in Draft Amendment 5 of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan; presentations about trends and management options related to North Carolina’s Sheepshead and Black Drum fisheries; and a review of data concerning striped bass harvest closures in portions of the Neuse and Tar/Pamlico rivers.
A full agenda and briefing book are accessible via the Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings webpage along with a link to view the live stream on YouTube.
