Chapter 6 Conservation Goals and Priorities
The NCDCM is also responsible for several oversight and conservation programs, including permitting and enforcement, CAMA land-use planning, public beach and waterfront access, North Carolina Coastal Reserves, and Clean Marinas and Pump-out grants program. NCDCM staff also collect and analyze data for oceanfront erosion rates and recently completed an inventory of the state’s entire estuarine shoreline. In 2014, the NCDCM published a Living Shorelines Strategy to advance alternatives to vertical erosion control structures to minimize erosion, improve water quality, and provide wildlife habitat ( NCDCM 2014 ). The Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program seeks to improve coordination between state coastal zone managers and water quality experts to reduce polluted runoff in the coastal zone. These are just a few of the several programs designed to protect and conserve North Carolina’s coastal resources. 6.5.3.2 NC Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources (NCDEMLR) The North Carolina Division of Energy, Mineral and Land promotes the wise use and protection of North Carolina's land and geologic resources. The division regulates and provides technical assistance related to mining, dams, sediment and erosion control and stormwater management. The Energy Section is responsible for oil and shale gas management, transportation, renewables, and the implementation of the State Energy Program and Weatherization Assistance Program. The NC Geological Survey is part of the division and is responsible for performing scientific investigations, providing technical assistance and maps of the state’s geological resources. The division supports public geoscience education. 6.5.3.3 NC Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries part of the NCDEQ and is the state agency dedicated to ensuring sustainable marine and estuarine fisheries and habitats for the benefit and health of the people of North Carolina. The NCDMF jurisdiction encompasses all coastal waters and extends to 3 miles offshore. The NCWRC and NCDMF share joint jurisdiction over the waters where coastal and inland freshwaters converge as defined by legislative action (see 15A NCAC 03Q.0202). Agency policies are established by the nine-member Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) and the Secretary of NCDEQ. North Carolina is a member of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Key components of the NCDMF mission include: • Enforcing marine fisheries statutes and rules fairly and consistently; • Ensuring healthy, sustainable marine and estuarine fisheries and habitats through management decisions based on sound data and objective analyses; • Monitoring and evaluating coastal waters for the safe harvest of molluscan shellfish and recreational uses to safeguard the public health of shellfish consumers and recreational bathers; and, • Issuing coastal water advisories (e.g., swimming, shellfish harvest) based on water quality that exceeds health standards.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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