Source: NCDEQ, 8/2/21 The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission is accepting public comment
on proposed amendments and re-adoption of 56
rules under a
state-mandated periodic review schedule.
Most of the rules pertain to sanitation standards for
commercial crustacea processing procedures and contain minor updates.
Amendments to three of these rules prohibit the repacking of foreign crab meat
in North Carolina. Following recent
developments in North Carolina where foreign crab meat was fraudulently
marketed and sold as domestic blue crab, the commission began rulemaking to
prohibit the repacking of foreign crab meat in the state to prevent future
fraud and improve consumer confidence moving forward. Other changes to
rules pertaining to interjurisdictional species remove harvest requirements
that are out of date, relying on proclamations instead to respond to interstate
and federal management changes. Several rules about general requirements and
fishing gears are proposed for re-adoption with no changes. A public hearing will be held by web conference on Aug. 18 at 6
p.m. The public may join the meeting online;
however, those who wish to comment during the hearing must register to speak by
noon on the day of the hearing.
Members of the
public also may submit written comments through an online form or through the
mail to N.C.
Marine Fisheries Commission Rules Comments, P.O Box 769, Morehead City, N.C.
28557. Comments must be posted online or be received by the N.C. Division of
Marine Fisheries by 5 p.m. Oct. 1, 2021. Links to the public hearing registration form and online comment
form, as well as text of the proposed rules and links to join the meeting, can
be found on the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission’s Proposed Rules Page. The proposed rule changes will be presented to
the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission for final approval in February 2022 and
have an earliest effective date of April 1, 2022. For questions about the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission
rulemaking process, email Catherine Blum (Catherine.Blum@ncdenr.gov), rules coordinator for the N.C.
Division of Marine Fisheries.
WHO:
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Marine
Fisheries Commission
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WHAT:
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Public
Hearing for Proposed Rules
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WHEN:
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Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.
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WHERE:
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Meeting by Web Conference
Click Here for Information and to Sign
Up to Speak
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