Press Releases

In order to preserve the southern flounder resource, the North Carolina recreational flounder season will not open for harvest in 2024. Estimates from 2023 indicate the recreational catch exceeded the quota allowed under a stock rebuilding plan that was included in Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan and adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission.

The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), a program of the Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management, hosted its third stop on the “Discover the N.C. Coastal Reserve” Tour on May 17 at the Rachel Carson Reserve in Beaufort, NC. The tour began with brief remarks by staff, local and state officials at the chapel at the Beaufort Hotel, followed by a guided boat tour, with a stop at the Carrot Island boardwalk.

State recreational water quality officials today lifted a water quality swimming advisory at a sound-side site in Carteret County.

The N.C. Department of Environment Quality’s Division of Coastal Management (DCM) is accepting applications for approximately $170,000 in funding under the North Carolina Marine Sewage Pumpout Station Grant Program.

The Viable Utility Committee of the State Water Infrastructure Authority will meet via teleconference on Wednesday, May 22, from 2-4 p.m. The public may listen to the meeting online or by phone.

The Wastewater Pollution Control System Operator Certification Commission (WPCSOCC) is receiving nominations for its annual Wilbur E. Long Jr. Operator of the Year Award Nomination.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) has approved a certificate of coverage to allow BlueGreen Water Technologies to conduct a pilot study of a treatment for cyanobacteria within a limited area of Lake Mattamuskeet, the state’s largest freshwater lake, starting on June 1.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are still accepting public comments on temporary rules to implement mandatory harvest reporting requirements passed by the N.C. General Assembly in Session Law 2023-137, Section 6. The comment period will close at 5 p.m. May 20, 2024.

The Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources (DWR) is lifting an advisory for fishing and recreational activity in a portion of Swift Creek in Craven County, after sample analysis showed water quality contamination from an animal waste spill has cleared.