A study of the marine fisheries and coastal habitats regulated by North Carolina
Grant
Overview
abstract
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Coastal and estuarine habitats, particularly structured habitats, such as seagrass, tidal marshes, and oyster reefs, can support high densities of commercially and recreationally valuable juvenile fishes and crustaceans as compared to other marine habitats. As such, these habitats are thought to contribute disproportionately to fisheries production and thus often designated as nursery areas. North Carolina initiated nursery area surveys in the 1970s to identify areas with elevated densities of juvenile and sub-adult managed fishes and then used those inventories to designate estuarine waters afforded with additional protections, with the intent to limit destruction and degradation of important nursery habitats. However, many areas within NC estuarine waters with high coverage of structured habitat are not currently designated as primary nursery areas and are not consistently included in current nursery monitoring programs (e.g., P120 and P195 trawl programs). Here, we propose to review available data and literature to: 1) synthesize the information currently available on the status and geospatial extent of structured estuarine habitats (tidal marshes, seagrasses, and oyster reefs in coastal North Carolina); 2) to evaluate the protections afforded to these habitats, including nursery designation, in NC as compared to other coastal states; and 3) compare the juvenile densities of managed species within and outside of designated nursery areas in NC. The results of this review will be used to identify habitats or species that may be vulnerable to anthropogenic threats because of lack of protections or monitoring. We ultimately plan to provide an updated nursery definition applicable for NC waters that the state may adopt via the NC Marine Fisheries Commission rulemaking authority.
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The General Assembly of North Carolina's 2021 Appropriations Act includes a request for a synthetic study regarding the status and management structures for the state's marine fisheries and coastal habitats (the focus on habitats is restricted to their roles in supporting healthy fisheries). This mandate is in response to "the twenty-fifth anniversary of North Carolina's Fisheries Reform Act of 1997 and the fiftieth anniversary of North Carolina's Coastal Area Management Act", as these time markers represent valuable horizons to critically appraise the efficacy (e.g., functional implementation) of these acts in serving critical mission(s) within the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. The appropriation lists 13 focal species that are managed by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and Marine Fisheries Commission, although the scope of the study allows for considerations of all harvested species in North Carolina - including those with interjurisdictional management involving the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and South/Mid Atlantic Fishery Management Councils.
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