Three advisory committees of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in April to discuss a proposal to protect Submerged Aquatic Vegetation through shrimp trawl area closures. The meetings will be held in person and livestreamed on YouTube.
Public comment will be accepted in person during the meetings, which are scheduled for:
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Northern AC |
Southern AC |
Shellfish/Crustacean AC |
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Dare County Administration Building |
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries |
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries |
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) is federally designated as essential fish habitat and habitat areas of particular concern. These underwater grassy areas provide refuge and forage for juvenile fish and serve as spawning areas for many species. SAV also serves many other ecological functions. Shrimp trawling is one of several major threats to SAV.
The 2021 Amendment to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan cites the need to further protect and restore SAV, and the N.C. Shrimp Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2, adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission in February 2022, contained a provision for the Division of Marine Fisheries to identify unprotected SAV and recommend further protective management actions.
The Division brought an initial proposal to the Marine Fisheries Commission in February 2024, and the commission voted to send that proposal out for advisory committee input. An Interactive map showing layers for SAV, areas currently closed to shrimp trawling and areas proposed for closure can be found at https://ncdenr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=61f2b88f26f7416caba3000163231ce1.
Meeting agendas and YouTube links can be found on the Advisory Committee Meetings webpage.