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Shrimpgate: New Bill to Protect Waterways Would 'Destroy' Shrimp Industry in North Carolina, Critics Warn
- On Wednesday, the North Carolina Senate approved House Bill 442, which prohibits shrimp trawling in the state's inland waterways and within a half-mile of the coastline to safeguard important marine ecosystems.
- The bill originated as a measure to restore recreational flounder and red snapper fishing but received a last-minute amendment banning shrimp trawling, sparking debate among stakeholders.
- Supporters cited studies emphasizing the damage shrimp trawling causes, including high bycatch rates, juvenile fish deaths, and habitat degradation, while opponents warned it would devastate shrimpers’ livelihoods.
- The Senate approved the bill 41-4; it includes a misdemeanor penalty with up to five months jail, and mandates a flounder season and fish stock assessments to balance conservation and fishing interests.
- If the bill passes the final House vote and is signed by the governor, it will align North Carolina’s fisheries management with neighboring states but could significantly impact coastal shrimping communities.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Measure that would halt inshore shrimp trawling advances - The Coastland Times
By Jennifer Allen, CoastalReview.org A senator representing five Piedmont counties has introduced an amendment to a House bill that, if it becomes law, will prohibit shrimp trawling in all of North Carolina’s inland waters and within a half-mile of the Atlantic Ocean shoreline. Despite protests from a coastal senator and several commercial fishing representatives, two Senate committees that met Tuesday were in favor of amending House Bill 442, w…
Shrimp fishermen will receive a nature permit until 2045. This was confirmed by outgoing State Secretary Rummenie of Fisheries after a report in De Telegraaf. The fishermen's old permit had expired more than two years ago and their tolerance permit would also expire on 1 July. "So it was high time", Rummenie said in the NOS Radio 1 Journaal. He issued the permit for twenty years, because according to him "you can't keep a company running on the …
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