Public hearing set for proposed shellfish leases in Pender County

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, 2025, on proposed shellfish leases in Pender County. The hearing will be held both in-person at the Topsail Beach Town Hall, 820 S. Anderson Blvd., Topsail Beach, N.C. 28445, and virtually via Webex.

The following lease applications will be considered:

• James B. Pumphrey and Benjamin Slay have applied for a 0.51-acre shellfish bottom and water column lease in Topsail Marshes (Lease Nos. 24-015BL and 24-016WC).
• Thomas A. Cannon has applied for two 1.33-acre shellfish bottom leases in Banks Channel (Lease Nos. 24-023BL and 24-024BL).

Each proposed site will be marked at the corners with signage indicating its status as a Proposed Shellfish Bottom Lease and/or Water Column Lease and referencing the lease numbers listed above.

Members of the public may comment on the applications during the hearing either in person or online. Those wishing to speak via Webex must register by 4 p.m. Monday, April 14, 2025, at deq.nc.gov/pender-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration.

In-person participants may sign up to speak between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the evening of the hearing.

Additional hearing materials, including the Webex link, call-in number, presentation slides, and biological investigation reports, are available at: deq.nc.gov/news/events/pender-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.

Written comments will also be accepted until 5 p.m., Wednesday, April 16, 2025, through the following methods:

1. Online: deq.nc.gov/pender-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-comment-form
2. Mail: N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
       Shellfish Lease & Aquaculture Program
       P.O. Box 769
       3441 Arendell St., Morehead City, NC 28557

For more information, contact Marla Chuffo with the Division’s Habitat and Enhancement Section at 252-515-5480 or marla.chuffo@deq.nc.gov.

At-a-Glance: