Press Releases

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office are urging the public to act responsibly during the upcoming July Fourth holiday at the Masonboro Island Reserve, a research reserve and dedicated state nature preserve. For the 2021 holiday, the state coastal agency and the sheriff’s office are working together to provide for public safety and to increase public awareness of responsible visitor behavior on the island.

Today, Governor Roy Cooper appointed Elizabeth Biser to lead the Department of Environmental Quality as Secretary.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has adjusted the recreational and commercial flounder seasons for 2021 to ensure a sustainable fishery. In 2019 the Division of Marine Fisheries recommended and the Marine Fisheries Commission approved, substantial harvest reductions in the flounder fishery to rebuild the southern flounder stock. These season adjustments are necessary to meet that goal.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will collect red snapper carcasses from recreational fishermen during the upcoming red snapper-mini season.

State recreational water quality officials today lifted a precautionary swimming advisory in Oak Island. The advisory was lifted because floodwaters have rescinded, and pumping has ceased.

The Department of Environmental Quality’s North Carolina Geological Survey (NCGS) has launched a new landslide website and GIS-based mapping tool to better inform communities about landslide hazards. 

State recreational water quality officials today advised beachgoers to be aware of the floodwaters being pumped to the ocean surf in Oak Island. Surfers and swimmers should avoid these sites.

Federal and state officials, together with Multistate Trust representatives, will hold a community meeting and two public availability sessions about the Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp – Navassa Superfund Site on Tuesday, June 22, 2021.

The N.C. Coastal Resources Commission will meet June 16 at the Beaufort Hotel, 2440 Lennoxville Rd, Beaufort. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and is open to the public. Based on current public health guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19, people who are not fully vaccinated should wear a mask and maintain social distance in all indoor public settings.

An advisory against swimming was posted today at a sound-side site in Carteret County, where state recreational water quality officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.