Public hearing set for proposed shellfish lease in Hyde County

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, 2025, on proposed shellfish leases in Hyde County. The hearing will be held in person at the Hyde County Courthouse, 40 Oyster Creek Road, Swan Quarter, N.C. 27885, and virtually via Webex.

The following lease application will be considered:

Ethan G. Credle has applied for a 2.28-acre shellfish bottom and water column lease in Germantown Bay (Lease Nos. 24-026BL and 24-027WC).

The proposed site will be marked at the corners with signage indicating its status as a Proposed Shellfish Bottom Lease and Water Column Lease and referencing the lease numbers listed above.

Members of the public may comment on the application during the hearing either in person or online. Those wishing to speak via Webex must register by 4 p.m. Monday, April 28, 2025, at deq.nc.gov/hyde-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration.

In-person participants may sign up to speak between 5 and 6 p.m. on the evening of the hearing.

Additional hearing materials—including the Webex link, call-in number, presentation slides, and biological investigation report—are available at: deq.nc.gov/news/events/hyde-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.

Written comments will also be accepted until 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 30, 2025, through the following methods:

1. Online: deq.nc.gov/hyde-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-comment-form

2. Mail: N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, Shellfish Lease & Aquaculture Program, P.O. Box 769, 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557

For more information, contact Marla Chuffo with the Division’s Habitat and Enhancement Section at 252-515-5480 or marla.chuffo@deq.nc.gov.

At-a-Glance: