skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Calls for Reform of “Broken” NC Fisheries Management

play audio
Play

Wednesday, August 26, 2020   

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Calls are increasing to merge the state's Division of Marine Fisheries into the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission from people who argue the move would increase effectiveness, reduce public confusion and save money.

Louis Daniel, former director of the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, said competing interests between the commercial fishing industry and those who want to sustain healthy fish populations mean wildlife-management proposals backed by science often go nowhere. He said he believes the result is overall poor management that benefits neither side.

"But when you've got one division saying, 'We need to manage for maximum extraction, maximum yield,' and the other saying that we need to manage what's in the best interest of the resource," he said, "those two conflict and you can't come to a resolution."

Since the mid-1990s, the number of commercial fish landings in North Carolina has declined by 79% and catches of certain species, such as Atlantic croaker, have dropped by 85%. In a written statement, the Division of Marine Fisheries said the issue of combining the agencies has a long history, has been debated and studied before, and ultimately was not recommended.

Tim Gestwicki, chief executive of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, said North Carolina is failing to implement sustainable commercial and recreational fishing practices. If over-fishing continues, he said, the marine resources will diminish until there's nothing left. He said it's up to advocacy groups to build a case for the merger and educate residents and elected officials.

"I believe that from an efficiency and from a cost-savings manner, especially now in these budgetary times," he said, "it makes all the sense in the world."

Last year, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation passed a resolution called "One Mission, One Commission." It recommends consolidating the Wildlife Resources Commission and the Division of Marine Fisheries with the goal of improving stewardship of the state's natural resources.

The resolution is online here. The NCWF news release is here.

Disclosure: North Carolina Wildlife Federation contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, Environment, Water. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021