The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Onslow County at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 12, 2026. The event will take place both in person at the Holly Ridge Community Center, located at 404 Sound Rd, Holly Ridge, NC 28445, and via web conference.
The hearing is set to gather public comment on several shellfish lease applications in various areas of Onslow County. Applications include those from Old Baldy Aquaculture, LLC (Matthew T. Miller) for two Shellfish Bottom Leases in the New River and Stones Bay; Alonzo L. Davis III for Shellfish Bottom and Water Column Leases in Seaside Areas; Stump Sound Oyster Company, LLC (Shawn P. Burns) for leases in Stones Bay; Anthony A. Grant for a lease in Alligator Bay; and Joshua A. Thompson for multiple leases in Ellis Cove, the New River, and Stones Bay.
Each proposed lease area will be marked at its corners as a Proposed Shellfish Bottom Lease or Water Column Lease with corresponding numbers.
Members of the public can comment either by attending the hearing in person or by joining via Webex. Those wishing to speak through Webex must pre-register by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at deq.nc.gov/onslow-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration. In-person speakers should register between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Holly Ridge Community Center on the day of the hearing.
Information about the hearing—including access to the web conference link, call-in number, presentation slides, and biological investigation reports—is available at deq.nc.gov/2026-02-12-onslow-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.
Written comments may be submitted up to 24 hours after the hearing concludes. Comments can be sent online using a form at nc.gov/onslow-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-comment-form or mailed to: C. Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program PO Box 769 3441 Arendell St Morehead City, NC 28557-0769.
For further information about this process or how to participate, contact the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program at 252-515-5495 or SLAP@deq.nc.gov.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality manages natural resources across air, land, water, and coastal environments throughout North Carolina through its divisions such as marine fisheries (official website). The agency supports environmental compliance and education efforts while providing regulatory oversight over waste management and resource protection statewide (official website). Its mission is focused on science-based stewardship that benefits all residents (official website).
