Releases – March 8, 2012
U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre recently announced the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing $59.3 million in additional appropriations funding for southeastern North Carolina coastal projects.
McIntyre said, “These funds will make high impact investments to the Cape Fear region and allow our waterways to continue to drive economic growth in southeastern North Carolina. Our coastal communities deserve to have their inlets and waterways maintained, and I will continue to fight for needed investments to our coastal infrastructure.”
With the release of funds, the Wilmington Harbor will receive $22,000,000 to finish harbor deepening to 44 feet and complete the 1996 deepening plan, and $7,980,000 to dredge the inner ocean bar and deposit sand on the beaches as part of the Sand Management Plan. Bald Head Island is the next community in line to receive sand under the plan.
Additionally, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway will receive $4,485,000, the Carolina Beach Inlet will receive $500,000, the Lockwoods Folly River will receive $500,000, the Masonboro Inlet and Connecting Channels will receive $650,000, the New Topsail Inlet and Connecting Channels will receive $500,000, and the Cape Fear River above Wilmington will receive $789,000.
Mark your calendars for the 2nd annual Washington Marine Market to be held on Saturday, April 28th. This year’s market will be a one day event with added attractions and expanded hours.
The Washington Harbor District Alliance (WHDA) is pleased to bring this popular event back to downtown Washington. There will be a marine flea market, used boat corral, new boat show, and an artist market. Beth Byrd, Executive Director of WHDA, says, “The Washington Harbor District Alliance saw a niche that was not being filled. Beaufort County has strong ties to the marine industry. Our citizens are lucky to live on the nations’ second largest estuarine system. That means there are great numbers of consumers and vendors for this type of an event.”
Vendors or flea market participants can register early by contacting WHDA at whda@washingtononthewater.com.
The Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina strongly objects to the recent off road vehicle (ORV) restrictions for Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area (CHNSRA) imposed by the National Park Service (NPS).
For more than half a century, the recreational fishing public, as well as the general public, has had free and open ORV access to CHNSRA beaches. The NPS has already severely limited ORV access to Oregon Inlet, Hatteras Inlet, and Ocracoke Inlet, and now looks to implement a fee that could reportedly range as high as $150 per year and $30 per week for the privilege.
In addition, in order to secure a permit, users will be required to view a 7 minute video. This new action comes after a hundred plus years of unrestricted access to our NC beaches.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area was established as a shoreline recreation area, donated to the NPS by the state of North Carolina to be shared with the entire country. Contrary to its original intent, CHNSRA access by the general public will now be held hostage by the NPS.
The decision to implement these restrictions has been from baseless science promoted by a few misguided environmental groups. These groups have misrepresented the facts, in this instance, by citing successful nesting of birds and turtles when compared to years when major storms destroyed their nests.
In fact, there has never been any indication that ORVs were a major cause of harm to these animals. The greatest sources of mortality among these animals are storms and natural predation from kit foxes, raccoons, herring gulls, and ghost crabs.
CCA NC urges the National Park Service to restore access to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreation Area to its original intent, year round access by all citizens. For more information please visit www.preservebeachaccess.org.
NOAA Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on Amendment 24 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region (Amendment 24). The comment period ends on April 27, 2012.
Amendment 24 would establish a rebuilding plan for red grouper in the South Atlantic. The red grouper stock of the South Atlantic was assessed in 2008 through the Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review Process. The assessment determined red grouper to be overfished (population too low) and undergoing overfishing (rate of fish removal too high).
The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (Council) and NOAA Fisheries Service are required by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to implement a rebuilding plan within two years after identification of an overfished stock. NOAA Fisheries Service notified the Council of the stock status on June 9, 2010. Amendment 24 would implement a plan that would have an 81 percent probability of stock recovery in 10 years.
Actions in Amendment 24 consider:
1. Implementation of red grouper annual catch limits for the commercial and recreational sectors. The sector annual catch limits are based on the Council’s proposed allocations of 44 percent commercial and 56 percent recreational.
2. Implementation of red grouper accountability measures for the commercial and recreational sectors. Accountability measures are management controls to prevent annual catch limits from being exceeded and to correct overages of the catch limits if they do occur. The accountability measures would close each sector when the sector annual catch limit is projected to be met. If a sector annual catch limit is exceeded, the Regional Administrator would publish a notice to reduce the sector annual catch limits in the following season by the amount of the overage.
3. Elimination of the commercial and recreational aggregate annual catch limits and accountability measures for black grouper, gag, and red grouper.
4. Revision of the following management benchmarks for red grouper: Maximum sustainable yield; optimum yield; and minimum stock size threshold.
Comments on the amendment must be received no later than April 27, 2012, to be considered by NOAA Fisheries Service.
Electronic copies of Amendment 24 may be obtained from the NOAA Fisheries Service website http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/pdfs/SGAmend24_121411.pdf, the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov, and the Council’s website at www.safmc.net.
If you would like the files in a different format (such as hard copies), please submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the NOAA FOIA Office. Guidelines on submitting a FOIA request can be found on the NOAA FOIA webpage at www.rdc.noaa.gov/foia.
You may submit comments by the following methods:
1. Electronic Submission: Federal e-Rulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov (select “Submit Comment,” then type in NOAA-NMFS-2011-0298 in the “Keyword or ID” box). All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted to www.regulations.gov without change.
2. Mail: NOAA Fisheries Service, Southeast Regional Office, Sustainable Fisheries Division, c/o Rick DeVictor, 263 13th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
All personal identifying information (for example, name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.
NOAA Fisheries Service will accept anonymous comments. Attachments to electronic comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, WordPerfect, or Adobe PDF file formats only. Comments received through means not specified in this bulletin may not be considered.
More information, including Frequently Asked Questions for Amendment 24, can be found online at: http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov.
Revenues from the N.C. Coastal Recreational Fishing License will pay nearly $2 million in the coming year toward projects to help provide coastal fishing access and fisheries and habitat research. The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission recently announced the approval of 14 grants, totaling $1.99 million, for the 2012 cycle.
The grants are funded from the N.C. Marine Resources Fund, which receives revenues from the sale of Coastal Recreational Fishing Licenses. The grants are sorted into three focus areas. Grants that fall under the People focus area include public education and public water access projects. Grants that fall under the Fish focus area are fisheries research projects. Grants that fall under the Habitat focus area include projects that enhance, protect, or research fisheries habitat.
The approved grants for People total $857,369.
Take a Kid Fishing – $25,000 for funding for a multi-year grant to provide disabled and disadvantaged youth an opportunity to go saltwater fishing while teaching them about ethical fishing practices, conservation, and the ocean environment.
Long Bay Artificial Reef Association – $220,622 for a grant to place reef material on Artificial Reef-430 off Brunswick County to enhance the effective and responsible development of artificial reefs for long-term fishery enhancement.
N. C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Saltwater fishing Tournament – $25,727 for funding for a multi-year grant to enhance and support the program, which produces citations that recognize recreational anglers for exceptional catches of marine finfish common to North Carolina.
Friends of the N.C. Maritime Museum – $28,620 for funding for a multi-year grant to develop and implement a public exhibit with related educational materials centered on North Carolina’s recreational fisheries.
Wildlife Resources Commission’s Brick Landing Road Boating Access – $350,000 for a grant to design and construct one new concrete ramp, floating docks, 24 paved parking spaces, and Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, features.
Wildlife Resources Commission’s ADA Coastal Boating Access – $140,000 for funding for a multi-year grant to make all of the commission’s coastal boating access sites ADA compliant.
Town of Oriental – $67,400 for a grant to enhance the Oriental Artificial Reef-396 by purchasing and deploying reef balls and other materials.
The approved grants for Fish total $400,710.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Acoustic Tagging of Southern Flounder – $161,874 for funding of a multi-year grant to evaluate the migration dynamics and within-estuary habitat use of southern flounder.
East Carolina University Cooperative Winter Tagging Cruise – $238,836 for funding of a multi-year grant to tag striped bass and Atlantic sturgeon in the Atlantic Ocean, and sample all species encountered, to assist in assessing fishing mortality on coastal migratory stocks of striped bass, including the Albemarle-Roanoke stock.
The approved grants for Habitat total $732,266.
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Oyster Shell Recycling Program – $28,000 for a grant to increase public exposure to the program to increase participation and provide additional shell material that will be used to enhance fish habitat, reduce solid waste in landfills, and increase awareness of the importance of a healthy oyster population.
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Inshore Fishing/Oyster Reefs – $469,427 for funding of a multi-year grant to increase easily accessible and high-quality angling opportunities by creating three coastal recreational fishing reefs in close proximity to coastal towns and public boat ramps.
University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Ecosystem Function of Oyster Shoreline Stabilization – $87,501 for a grant to study the impacts of oyster reefs on shoreline stabilization, specific parameters of oyster health and condition in created reefs, and the ecosystem benefit from oysters.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences, Defining the Critical Depth for Intertidal Oyster Reef Restoration – $39,491 for funding of a multi-year grant to evaluate restored oyster reef evolution and sustainability across various water depths and determine the critical elevation threshold at which future restoration will likely be most successful.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences, Acoustic Tracking of Adult Red Drum and Sheepshead – $107,847 for funding of a multi-year grant to track adult red drum and sheepshead to evaluate restored habitat function.
For more information on these grants or the Coastal Recreational Fishing License grant program, contact Tiffany Frazier, Coastal Recreational Fishing License grants coordinator, at (252) 808-8004 or Tiffany.Frazier@ncdenr.gov.
