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MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission is accepting public comments on changes to two rules, one pertaining to tarpon and the other pertaining to transfers of commercial fishing licenses.
The public may comment in person at a public hearing scheduled for Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. at the division’s Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City. The public may also comment in writing to division Rules Coordinator Catherine Blum at P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, N.C. 28557 or via email at Catherine.Blum@ncdenr.gov. The deadline for written comments is Dec. 2.
The proposed rules would:
·Amend 15A NCAC 03M .0509 to prohibit possession of tarpon and make it illegal to gaff, spear, or puncture tarpon by any method other than hook and line.
·Modify 15A NCAC 03O .0108 to clarify the circumstances under which transfers of Standard Commercial Fishing Licenses are allowed, including the following:
The proposed rule changes come at the request of the Marine Fisheries Commission, which voted in February 2018 to start the process of amending the tarpon rule to improve the survivability of the fish and has, over the past couple of years, expressed concern about the types of license transfers allowed by statute and rule.
Modification of the two rules also meets a state-mandated periodic review schedule under which state agencies must review existing rules at least once every 10 years.
The proposed effective date of the rules is subject to legislative review.
For specific wording of the rule changes, go to the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission’s Proposed Rules Page.
For more information, contact Catherine Blum, rules coordinator for the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, at 252-808-8014.