North Carolina Wildlife Federation Proposes Drastic Policies to Protect Coastal Habitats

MOREHEAD CITY – A wildlife conservation nonprofit is looking to make some changes to the way our state cares for its coastal ecosystem.  The new policies would promote oyster restoration, habitat protection and stricter fishing gear regulations. “If we keep going the same direction, then our coast will be in peril,” said David Knight, policy advisor with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation. “Large mesh gill nets, small mesh gill nets, shrimp trolling in inland waters, but all of these issues,,, Read the rest here  18:14

5 Responses to North Carolina Wildlife Federation Proposes Drastic Policies to Protect Coastal Habitats

  1. DickyG says:

    “Raleigh, NC – Governor Pat McCrory has accepted the position of vice chair of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Governors Coalition.”

    “Opening up the waters off North Carolina to sensible oil, natural gas and renewable energy development is a vital part of our state’s energy policy,” Governor McCrory said. http://ocsgovernors.org/governor-mccrory-accepts-vice-chairmanship-of-outer-continental-shelf-ocs-governors-coalition/

    Hey North Carolina Wildlife Federation, You want to do something to protect your inland waters? Try going to your governor’s office and ask him about the Governor’s Outer Continental Shelf Coalition which is working overtime to promote oil and gas drilling off of your shores? http://ocsgovernors.org/about-ocsgc/members/

    You’re worried about gill nets and inshore shrimp fishing destroying the your inshore ecosystem? Visit the inshore ecosystem of Louisiana and tell us all about the destruction that gill nets and Shrimp trawling have caused to that ecosystem.

    Want to know more about The Governor’s OCS Coalition? Here’s some investigative reporting on the group’s connections:
    http://www.southernstudies.org/2015/04/drive-to-drill-energy-lobbyists-behind-governors-c.html
    “Drawing on thousands of pages of documents obtained through public records requests to the offices of Gov. McCrory and other officials, Facing South has uncovered new details about the Governors Coalition and its close but largely concealed ties to HBW Resources, a corporate lobbying and public relations firm representing some of the nation’s biggest energy interests, and the company’s sister group the Consumer Energy Alliance, a “dark money” nonprofit organization that doesn’t have to disclose its backers. Our findings add to previous details about the groups’ connections reported last year by the Center for Public Integrity.”

    Until you, NC Wildlife Federation, address some of the real threats to North Carolina waters, your scapegoating the local fishermen cannot be taken seriously.

  2. DonM says:

    How about implementing some stringent control measures that prevent industrial and domestic run off of pollutants and pesticides into the rivers?

  3. borehead says:

    From this article, ‘Sound Solutions’ targets gear’
    http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_f32c89f2-f979-11e4-ae39-67f2a98a3fca.html

    The campaign’s specific recommendations include:

    •Implement the N.C. Coastal Habitat Protection Plan.

    •Make incentives for creating living shorelines.

    •Encourage low-impact development.

    •Increase funding for coastal land protection.

    •Uphold current coastal wetlands laws and regulations.

    •Create more oyster sanctuaries and reefs.

    •Prioritize cultch planting.

    •Increase funding for oyster restoration.

    •Create more mariculture opportunities.

    •Perform a comprehensive review of the FRA.

    •Use quotas or total allowable catch systems for targeted species and stocks requiring special attention within an ecosystem.

    •Update primary nursery areas.

    •Increase the cost of certain fishing licenses and permits to pay for fisheries management and habitat enhancement projects.

    •Eliminate certain commercial and recreational licenses and permits.

    •Increase penalties for resource harming violations.

    •Increase the DMF budget for law enforcement capacity and equipment.

    •Implement a Joint Enforcement Agreement with the federal National Marine Fisheries Service.

    •Require a maximum combined head rope length of 90 feet on shrimp trawls.

    •Implement gear restrictions and policy changes to reduce bycatch by 40 percent before the 2017 shrimping season.

    •Reduce the southern flounder catch – via reduction in large mesh gill nets – by at least 40 percent and sustain adequate recruitment.

  4. Nathan Roughton says:

    They need to stop it’s gone far enough we depend on fishing for a living anything regulate crabbing to limited amount of pots yaw don’t realize your putting yourself out of a job no more fishermen no more jobs for yaw think about it

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