Press Releases

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Water Resources (DWR) advises the public to avoid contact with green or blue water in parts of the Chowan River in Chowan and Bertie counties due to an algal bloom that has lingered in the area since Aug. 16. The bloom has been observed from near the community of Rockyhock to below the U.S. 17 bridge over the Chowan River near Edenton.

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials have now lifted the precautionary against swimming issued due to Tropical Storm Debby for all but eight locations.

As North Carolina’s state saltwater fish, the Red Drum is not only a popular target for anglers but also a species of significant economic importance. While annual data supports these claims, several key questions remain unanswered: Where do Red Drum spawn? How far do they travel? How often do they pass through the ocean inlets, and do they head north to Virginia or make their way beyond South Carolina?

The comment period for review of a federal consistency submission from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Protected Resources proposing amendments to the North Atlantic Right Whale Vessel Strike Reduction Rule (“speed rule”) ends Aug. 31. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management will accept written comments on the proposal until 5 p.m.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in person Aug. 21-23 at the Hilton Raleigh North Hills, in Raleigh. The meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

MOREHEAD CITY – State recreational water quality officials are advising the public to avoid swimming in North Carolina coastal waters from Wright Memorial Bridge in Kitty Hawk south to the South Carolina State line affected by Tropical Storm Debby.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board will meet by teleconference at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 22. The board will consider license applications that are deemed complete and submitted by Oct. 1.

The N.C. DEQ Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program sank a tugboat, Thomas Dann, on Aug 1 at AR-305, off Cape Lookout.

MOREHEAD CITY – Advisories against swimming were posted today at two sound-side sites in Beaufort County where state officials found bacteria levels in the water that exceed the state’s and Environmental Protection Agency’s recreational water quality standards.