The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries’ Artificial Reef Program will hold four public meetings in August to provide information and solicit public comment on a proposed four-year artificial reef enhancement plan. At each meeting, the Artificial Reef Program will be seeking partners for regional reef enhancement projects.
An artificial reef is a manmade underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom. In North Carolina, they serve as crucial spawning and foraging habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish species.
The division maintains 43 ocean artificial reefs, located from one-half mile to 38 miles from shore and situated so that they can be reached from every maintained inlet in the state.
The public meetings on the artificial reef enhancement plan will be held:
August 6, 2018 (Monday) @ 6pm
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Raleigh-Brownstone-University
1707 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh NC
August 7, 2018 (Tuesday) @ 6pm
Ocracoke Community Center
999 Irvin Garrish Highway
Ocracoke NC
August 8, 2018 (Wednesday) @ 6pm
NC Department of Environmental Quality Wilmington Regional Office
127 Cardinal Drive
Wilmington NC
August 9, 2018 (Thursday) @ 6pm
NC Division of Marine Fisheries’ Central District Office
5285 Highway 70 West
Morehead City NC
Interested parties may speak at any of the above meetings or submit comments through email to Jordan Byrum, artificial reef coordinator, at jordan.byrum@ncdenr.gov.
The deadline for public comment is August 24, 2018.
The NC Division of Marine Fisheries is online at www.ncmarinefisheries.net.
Source: Patricia Smith, North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries
