Coastal Habitat Protection Plan
North Carolina’s Coastal Habitat Protection Plan “is long-term enhancement of coastal fisheries through habitat protection and enhancement efforts. The North Carolina Marine Fisheries, Environmental Management, and Coastal Resources Commissions unanimously adopted the North Carolina Coastal Habitat Protection Plan in December 2004. The document provides information on the habitats’ distribution and abundance, ecological functions and importance to fish production, status and trends, threats to the habitats, and includes recommendations to address threats. The Coastal Habitat Protection Plan is revised every five years to reflect changes in the status of habitat protection in North Carolina” –NC Department of Environmental Quality
In Fall of 2021, CHPP was up for public comment, a process CCRW engaged in.
Through CCRW’s Water Quality for Fisheries program, priority water quality concerns were identified by the NC coastal fishing community. Through facilitated meetings, an Industry Working Group, made up of commercial and recreational fishermen, identified recommendations for water quality improvement.
CCRW submitted comments on CHPP highlighting this input directly from coastal fishing communities. Other aspects of CCRW’s work are also reflected, such as CAFOs, environmental justice, and emerging contaminants. We continue to advocate for partnership, collaboration, and accountability in protecting our coastal habitats.
Find the CHPP plan as well as CCRW’s comments below.
Coastal Habitat Protection Plan