NC legislature passes important fisheries bill SB 821

GREAT news for NC fishing-- now we just need the gov to sign. Lot of folks worked very hard for this.

From the CCA Press Release:

Legislature Overwhelmingly Passes SB 821

Raleigh, NC – The North Carolina Legislature overwhelmingly passed SB 821 after a concurrence vote today in the N.C. Senate. The bill, which now goes to the governor for signature, mandates the following:

Prohibits the use of a mother-ship/multi-vessel purse seining operations for menhaden reduction in state waters (out to 3 miles from shore).

Requires the MFC to have a “super majority” (6 out of 9 votes) to go against the Division of Marine Fisheries’ (DMF) recommendations in managing any species that is overfished or experiencing overfishing.

Reduces the number of DMF Advisory Committees (AC) by combining some committees and reducing the Regional AC’s from three to two.


More after the break:
CCA NC introduced the legislation and is very pleased with the efforts of the Legislature. “It is an outstanding day for the resource”, stated CCA NC Executive Director Stephen Ammons, “With the passage of this bill, a vital forage stock has been protected from overfishing, and just as important, the management of our state’s fisheries is strengthened.

In addition to those above, the bill also directs two studies to take place that could be beneficial to the future of our state’s resource along with its anglers. The bill calls for a study of potential funding sources for inlet dredging, in addition to a study of the state’s fisheries management agencies and to consider reorganization to increase efficiency and productivity by the Wildlife Resource Commission and DMF Directors.