Commercial Fishermen Needed to Remove Marine Debris MANTEO - The N. C. Coastal Federation is accepting applications from commercial fishermen to help get marine debris out of the water this winter. The federation and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, in January, will continue a pilot project to remove abandoned fishing gear from waters in northeastern North Carolina. Using a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federation will employ commercial watermen to help the N.C. Marine Patrol remove old gear from Jan. 15 to Feb. 7. No crab pots are allowed in the water during that time. The cleanup is scheduled to begin on Jan. 19, if the weather cooperates. This project is intended to improve habitat and water quality and support commercial watermen in northeastern North Carolina. The collection will take place from the Currituck Sound southward to Oregon Inlet, including parts of the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. Local fishermen with knowledge of these waters will be given preference. Side-scan sonar will be used on a limited number of boats to detect abandoned gear underwater. A side-scan sonar unit will be provided for these boats, and an additional day of training will be required for these fishermen. To qualify, fishermen must have filed at least one commercial landing trip ticket with the division within the past year. Fishermen will receive $300 a day and their mates will receive $100. Three days of work are guaranteed. About 12 fishermen will be accepted, and volunteers are also needed. Applications are due on Oct. 17. Participants will be notified by Oct. 31. Applications are available online on the N.C. Coastal Federations web site, nccoast.org; Oneals Sea Harvest in Wanchese; The Rope Shop in Manteo; and Full Circle Crab Co. in Columbia. For more information, or an application contact Ladd Bayliss at 252.473.1607 or [email protected] . --30-- About the North Carolina Coastal Federation: Working Together for a Healthy Coast The N.C. Coastal Federation is the states only non-profit organization focused exclusively on protecting and restoring the coast of North Carolina through education, advocacy and habitat restoration and preservation. The federations headquarters are at 3609 N.C. 24 in Ocean between Morehead City and Swansboro and the office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The federation also operates field offices in Wrightsville Beach and Manteo. For more information call 252.393.8185 or check our website at nccoast.org. Patricia Smith Public Information Officer N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries 3441 Arendell St. Morehead City, N.C. 28557 (252) 808-8025 (Office) (252) 342-0642 (Mobile) [email protected] portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 22:48:32 +0000
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