Old North News

Three advisory committees to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will convene this month to discuss and vote on recommendations for adaptive management related to the draft Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 Revision. The public is invited to provide comments during these meetings.

The Draft Amendment 3 Revision proposes options for adaptive management in response to declining trends in blue crab stocks. It appears that measures previously adopted in Amendment 3 are not achieving sustainability goals. Proposed options include seasonal closures and trip limits.

The scheduled meetings are as follows:

- Northern Regional Advisory Committee: Tuesday, March 18 at 6:00 p.m., Washington Civic Center, Washington, NC.

- Southern Regional Advisory Committee: Wednesday, March 19 at 6:00 p.m., New Hanover Arboretum Education Center, Wilmington, NC.

- Shellfish/Crustacean Advisory Committee: Thursday, March 20 at 6:00 p.m., Dare County Administration Building, Manteo, NC.

Meetings start at 6 p.m., but Division of Marine Fisheries staff will be available beforehand for public inquiries.

The input from these meetings will be reviewed by the Marine Fisheries Commission during its business meeting in May.

For further details, visit the Information on Blue Crab Adaptive Management webpage or contact Robert Corbett via email at Robert.Corbett@deq.nc.gov or phone at 252-381-6010 at the Elizabeth City Office; alternatively, contact McLean Seward at McLean.Seward@deq.nc.gov or phone at 910-796-7289 in the Wilmington Office.