PENDER COUNTY — Debate over the balance of the local shellfishing industry and recreational fishing surfaced at a recent hearing in Pender County.
READ MORE: Topsail opposes additional shellfish leases due to impact on recreation, commercial fishing
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries held a public hearing Jan. 31 to consider two requested shellfish leases; Paul Spiers of Pirate Oysters LLC applied for a 0.8 acre shellfish bottom lease and water column lease in Topsail Marshes and Michael Conor MacNair of N. Sea Oyster Co. requested a 10-acre water- GHVGHHHcolumn lease in Waters Bay.
Public information officer Patricia Smith said about 34 residents offered public comment for the hearing; many opposed the applications due to concerns the leases would inhibit access to boating and local fisheries.
The department will consider comments raised in the public hearing before deciding whether or not to recommend the applications to director Kathy Rawls, who will make the final decision. Smith did not have an estimated timeline for the process.
The Division of Marine Fisheries reviews applications for 10-year shellfish lease contracts after performing a biological investigation. Bottom leases in North Carolina grant space for shellfishing cages on or 18 inches above the seabed, whereas water column leases allow floating equipment.
Fishing charter captain Lee Parsons of gottafly Guide Services said he opposed new water column leases in North Carolina until the state carries out research on their impact on the local ecosystem. He noted he supports bottom leases and believes they are good for the fishery.
Ethan Bilderback of Steller Angler Guide Service said he opposed the Waters Bay lease because it is one of the last bays in Topsail with Turtle Grass and Eelgrass, which makes it ideal for redfish and speckled trout fishing. He argued the lease’s environmental consequences weren’t sufficiently analyzed before the public comment session.
“It’s time that we start talking about conservation in the state of North Carolina,” he said at the hearing, “which means preserving and not destroying what we have here and leaving it better than we found it.”
Topsail resident Henry Murray agreed with concerns raised by the fishermen; he was under the impression that water column leases prohibit recreational fishing within their confines and called for clarification on whether fishers would be allowed to navigate around shellfishing cages within the area.
MacNair holds five other shellfish leases in Pender County totaling 28.9 acres. He argued his requested water-column lease would not increase total leasing area because he already owns a bottom lease below it. He challenged the view the new lease would hurt navigability, and never received a direct complaint from a citizen or fishing charter captain about impeded access to his property.
“Why is this question one or the other?” MacNair asked at the hearing. “If it’s everybody’s water, why can’t we all figure out a way to use it for everybody? Isn’t that what would make the coastal economy thrive the best?”
PCD reached out to MacNair and Spiers to ask if they would allow recreational fishers to use their waters but did not receive an answer by press.
MacNair also argued oyster farming contributes to tourism rather than inhibiting it — a concern raised by Topsail Beach mayor Steve Smith in regards to a different shellfish lease hearing last year.
Pender’s tourism industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with a $189.7 million impact on the economy in 2022. The same year, the shellfish industry contributed $31.66 million to the state economy, according to North Carolina State University,
The farmed oyster industry contributed $14.69 million of the figure; the southern district of Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender, and Onslow counties contributed 78 jobs and roughly $4 million in 2022.
Gator Bay Oyster Company LLC owner Nelson Bullock told PCD he believes public pushback to shellfish leasing has increased as the local industry has expanded in recent years.
PCD reached out to the division of marine fisheries to ask how many shellfish leases have been applied for or denied in Pender since 2010. Smith said the Division of Marine Fisheries did not have county-specific numbers on industry growth, but noted there are currently 51 active bottom leases and 19 active water column leases in the county.
Bullock applied for a 0.8-acre lease in March 2023; the decision is still pending. The town of Topsail Beach sent a letter to the division of marine fisheries asking it to reject the lease as well as a nearly 1 acre lease request by Southeast Shellfish LLC before a public hearing on the applications.
Topsail Beach mayor Steve Smith argued Bullock’s lease would inhibit tourism and recreational use of the waters by boaters and kayakers. Smith is also the chair of the Topsail Shoreline Protection Committee, which is advocating for shellfish lease management controls “to provide public access to state waters” as one of its 2024 state lobbying priorities.
PCD reached out to the Topsail Beach mayor to ask for more details on their lobbying efforts but did not hear back by press.
Bullock told PCD he was a “little bit blown away” by the amount of opposition he experienced during the public hearing. He believes the local shellfish industry could work with recreational fishers to cohabitate the water and find a mutually agreeable solution.
“You can’t, obviously, touch or damage any of the gear,” Bullock told PCD. “And so you do have to be very careful. But I mean, you can cast towards the cages, you know, the fish are just kind of roaming in and out of the farm.”
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at [email protected].
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