Releases – August 16, 2012
The Commercial License Eligibility Board Committee to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will meet at 10:00 a.m., Sept. 12, at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City.
The board will consider applications for standard commercial fishing licenses that are submitted and deemed complete by Aug. 24. The board meets two to three times per year to consider license applications.
Directions for applying for a commercial fishing license can be found on the division website at http://portal.ncdenr.org. For more information, contact division license clerk Cristy Giddens at (910) 796-7261 or Cristy.Giddens@ncdenr.gov.
The 2012 NC Session Laws (SB 821) requires the Director of the Wildlife Resources Commission, the Director of the Division of Marine Fisheries, and the Commissioner of Agriculture to study the organization and function of the fisheries management programs in NC and to report their findings and recommendations for improvement to the NC General Assembly in October of 2012.
As a first step in this process, the agencies have set up several public meetings to receive public comment on the subject of reorganization of the fisheries agencies in NC. The times and places are given below.
Aug. 22, at 6:00 p.m., and Aug. 23 at 9:00 a.m., N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Meeting, Brownstone Hilton DoubleTree Hotel, 1707 Hillsborough St., Raleigh.;
Aug 29, at 5:00 p.m., N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Committee Meetings, 1751 Varsity Drive, N.C. State University Centennial Campus, Raleigh
Sept. 5, at 6:00 p.m., Craven County Cooperative Extension Office, 300 Industrial Drive, New Bern;
Sept. 6, at 6:00 p.m., Dare County Administration Building, Commissioners Meeting Room, 954 Marshall C. Collins Drive, Manteo
All comments offered on this issue will be presented for joint consideration by all three agencies. We encourage you to attend one of these meetings and send the notice to all your fishing friends so they can attend, too.
The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) has no role in the management or administration of fisheries resources. Their charge is to manage farm commodities and assist farmers. No efficiency or economy could be gained by involving NCDA&CS in any of the fishery programs, except aquaculture, which they already handle. In fact, delegating reporting harvest statistics and monitoring fishery catches through NCDA&CS would add an element of uncertainty and additional bureaucracy to the current process.
The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission will conduct eight public hearings during August and September on a proposal to incorporate updated long-term average annual erosion rates into the state’s oceanfront development rules.
Hearings will take place in each of the eight coastal counties that contain ocean shoreline. The schedule is as follows:
5:00 p.m. Aug. 28 – New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, Wilmington; 5:00 p.m. Aug. 29 – Sea Trail Golf Resort and Convention Center, 75A Clubhouse Road, Sunset Beach; 2:00 p.m. Sept. 5 – Ocracoke Volunteer Fire Department, 215 Back Road, Ocracoke; 5:00 p.m. Sept. 6 – N.C. Division of Coastal Management, 400 Commerce Ave., Morehead City; 3:00 p.m. Sept. 11 – Outer Banks Center for Wildlife Education, 1160 Village Lane, Corolla; 7:00 p.m. Sept. 11– Kill Devil Hills Town Hall, 102 Town Hall Drive, Kill Devil Hills, 3:00 p.m. Sept. 13 – Surf City Town Hall, 241 North New River Drive, Surf City; 5:00 p.m. Sept. 18 – North Topsail Beach City Hall, 2008 Loggerhead Court, North Topsail Beach.
Anyone may submit written comments about the proposal to Braxton Davis, Division of Coastal Management, 400 Commerce Ave., Morehead City, N.C. 28557. You may also submit comments by email to Braxton.Davis@ncdenr.gov. The deadline for written comments is Oct. 1.
A long-term average annual erosion rate is based on the average amount of erosion that occurs each year over a period of about 50 years. By measuring movement of the ocean shoreline over a long period of time, the N.C. Division of Coastal Management is able to develop a more accurate representation of the net shoreline change, taking into account normal shoreline movement, beach nourishment, and storms.
The state Division of Coastal Management uses long-term average annual erosion rates in determining setback distances for oceanfront construction. Setbacks are measured from the first line of stable natural vegetation. For structures of less than 5,000 square feet, the setback distance is determined by multiplying the average annual erosion rate by 30. For example, on a property where the erosion rate is three feet per year, the setback is 90 feet from the vegetation line. In areas that are naturally gaining sand or have an erosion rate of less than two feet per year, the setback distance is set at a minimum of 60 feet.
The setback factor for structures between 5,000 square feet and 10,000 square feet is 60 times the erosion rate. The setback factor increases incrementally with structure size, reaching a maximum setback of 90 times the erosion rate for structures 100,000 square feet and larger.
North Carolina first evaluated long-term average annual erosion rates for the state’s 300-mile ocean shoreline in 1979. DCM evaluates these erosion rates about every five years to ten years. The last update went into effect in 2003. Maps of the proposed oceanfront erosion rates are on DCM’s website at http://dcm2.enr.state.nc.us/maps/erosion_rates_2011.htm.
The proposed rule change would use the updated erosion rates for determining setback distances for oceanfront construction. If adopted by the CRC at its November meeting and approved by the state Rules Review Commission later this year, the updated erosion rates would become part of coastal development rules in early 2013.
Reporters are invited to a public meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 16, at Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head to hear public comments on a proposal to institute a walk-on fee for pier visitors.
Currently, a donation of $2 is requested to walk out on the 1,000-foot long, concrete fishing pier. Customers can pay at a cash register or drop their donations into a collection box next to the main doors leading out to the pier.
The N.C. Division of Aquariums will consider public input at the meeting and written comments before deciding whether to implement a walk-on fee.
Verbal and written comments will be received during the meeting, which will be held upstairs in Oceanview Hall. Written comments also can be submitted through Aug. 23 by email to admin@ncaquariums.com or by mail to David Griffin, N.C. Division of Aquariums, 3125 Poplarwood Court Suite 160, Raleigh, NC 27604.
Visitors enjoy free access to the 16,000-square foot pier house that features two large fish tanks, restrooms, and a gift, tackle and snack shop. The Jennette’s Pier complex also features public beaches, a bathhouse and free parking.
Jennette’s Pier is the fourth facility in the state Division of Aquariums, an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island is about 15 minutes from the pier near Manteo. The two other North Carolina aquariums are at Pine Knoll Shores near Atlantic Beach and Fort Fisher near Carolina Beach.
