MEDIA ADVISORY: Public hearing scheduled for shellfish lease proposals in Carteret County

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Carteret County at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 23. The hearing will be held in-person at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City and by WebEx.

Gary L. Cannon has applied for a 1.98-acre water column shellfish lease over an existing bottom lease in South River.

George H. Johnson Jr. has applied for a 1.53-acre water column shellfish lease over an existing bottom lease in Nelson Bay.

David A. Eckberg has applied for a 7.61-acre shellfish bottom lease and water column lease in Long Bay.

David A. Eckberg also has applied for a 7.77-acre shellfish bottom lease and water column lease in lower North River.

The public may comment on the above lease applications in person at the hearing or by WebEx. To facilitate online comments, the Division is asking those who wish to speak via WebEx to pre-register here by 4 p.m. Monday, May 22. Those who wish to comment in-person should sign up on-site the night of the hearing.

Public hearing information, including the web conference link, call-in telephone number, presentation slides, and biological investigation reports can be found here.

The public may also comment on the proposed shellfish leases in writing. Written comments will be accepted until 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 24 and may be submitted two ways:

1. Online Comments – Written comments will be accepted through an online form available here.
2. Mailed Comments – Written comments may be mailed to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, Shellfish Leases, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557.

For more information, contact Marla Chuffo, with the division’s Habitat and Enhancement Section, at 252-808-8048 or Marla.Chuffo@ncdenr.gov.