Old North News

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Marine Fisheries has scheduled a public hearing to address a proposed shellfish lease in Dare County. This event is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. The hearing will be conducted both in-person at the Dare County Government Office, located at 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Room 168, in Manteo, North Carolina, and virtually via Webex.

Herring Shoal Shellfish Co., LLC, represented by agents William James Clower and Aaron Hopkins, has submitted an application for a 3-acre shellfish bottom and water column lease in Roanoke Sound. The leases under consideration are designated as Lease Nos. 24-009BL and 24-010WC. The site will be demarcated with signs at the corners, indicating its status and lease numbers.

The public is invited to comment on the application during the hearing, whether attending in person or online. Those intending to speak via Webex need to register by 4 p.m. on Monday, May 5, 2025, through the website deq.nc.gov/dare-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration. In-person attendees can register onsite between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the hearing day.

Additional materials such as the Webex link, call-in information, presentation slides, and the biological investigation report are accessible online at deq.nc.gov/news/events/dare-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.

Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, via the online comment form available at deq.nc.gov/dare-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-comment-form or by mail to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, Shellfish Lease & Aquaculture Program, P.O. Box 769, 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557.

For further information, Marla Chuffo of the Division's Habitat and Enhancement Section can be contacted at 252-515-5480 or via email at marla.chuffo@deq.nc.gov.