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Contact: Patricia Smith Marine Fisheries Commission to Meet in Wilmington MOREHEAD CITY – The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet Aug. 11-13 at the Holiday Inn, 5032 Market St., Wilmington. The public is welcome to attend and comment periods are scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 11 and 9:15 a.m. Aug. 12. The commission is scheduled to select its preferred management options for Amendment 1 to the Bay Scallop Fishery Management Plan. The proposed amendment allows the director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries more flexibility in opening bay scallop harvest coast wide. The commission is also slated to review a draft Amendment 1 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan and approve sending it out for public review. By law, the commission must establish harvest reductions that end overfishing and rebuild the fishery by 2015. Possible management options include increasing the size limit, decreasing the recreational bag limit, season closures and stiffer commercial gear restrictions. Other agenda items include setting the annual Standard Commercial Fishing License eligibility pool cap and approving a five-year update to the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan. A full meeting agenda is attached. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Aug. 11, at 9 a.m. Aug. 12 and 8:30 a.m. Aug. 13. |