Late last week, the state House approved its version of the $23 billion state budget by a vote of 80-31. Now the House and the Senate go to what they call “conference” to iron out their differences and arrive at a final budget before sending it to Gov. Roy Cooper for approval. Oysters The North…
The North Carolina Coastal Federation’s efforts to expand investment in the state’s oyster industry are picking up speed in Raleigh. Recently, Gov. Roy Cooper released his proposed budget for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 bienniums. Cooper’s budget includes all of the federation’s priority oyster investments. Those include $1.35 million to rebuild sanctuary oyster beds in the…
UPDATE: This article has been edited to reflect updated crab pot numbers. A fleet of boats crewed by 72 commercial watermen spread out along the North Carolina coast in January and collected 4,304 lost crab pots as part of the Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project, which is a statewide effort to remove lost crab pots from…
We had such a great time at our coastal cleanups on the North Carolina coast! Many thanks to the volunteers who helped us remove thousands of pounds of debris and trash from three sites along the coast. Check out this Storify to see photos, videos and articles about all of our cleanups last week, as well…
The North Carolina Coastal Federation is currently accepting applications for “on-water” cleanup assistance related to its annual Lost Fishing Gear Recovery Project. This project is open to commercial watermen in North Carolina. Watermen are selected to participate in this program annually to help the federation and the North Carolina Marine Patrol remove lost fishing gear…
Wednesday, July 27 was a hot day, but that didn’t deter the wonderful volunteers in Manteo from completing an oyster reef in Shallowbag Bay on Roanoke Island. Six volunteers came out for a fun-filled morning, and started out the day by moving crab pots and collecting buoys from a storage site to bring out to the North Carolina…
Both coastal conservationists and shellfish growers agree that the new state budget makes important new investments in the state’s oyster industry. North Carolina Coastal Federation staff members learned Monday night that the budget included all of the requested funding for oyster restoration and crab pot cleanup — two of the federation’s major projects for keeping…
Since 2014, the Coastal Federation has partnered with the NOAA Marine Debris Program, N.C. Sea Grant, N.C. Marine Patrol and local commercial fishermen to remove derelict fishing gear from northeastern North Carolina waters. This year marks our third year of data collection. Approximately a dozen commercial boats dispersed throughout the entirety of the Marine Patrol’s…
Building New Oyster Reefs on Roanoke Island- a Novel Technique The federation and volunteers have been busy building oyster reefs this summer out of recycled crab pots and bags of oyster shell. Volunteers from Youth Build in Elizabeth City, Jennette’s Pier Service in Science Campers, and other local volunteers have lent a hand to the…