SEAFOOD 



North Carolina is blessed with an abundance of marine 

 resources that support a diverse and growing seafood industry. 

 The scope of our seafood industry encompasses both commercial 

 and recreational fishing activities. Commercial and 

 recreational fisheries provide economic benefits statewide 

 through the harvesting, processing and sale of seafood products 

 and associated services such as restaurants, motels, marines, 

 markets, and fishing tackel distributors. 



Problems exist in the seafood industry in the form of user 

 group conflicts, which impact the individuals harvesting the 

 marines resources; and habitat and water quality, which impact 

 the seafood resources directly. To continue recent efforts 

 made by the General Assembly in support of the State's marine 

 resources, the Commission makes the fol] owing findings and 

 recommendations . 

 FINDINGS - Seafood 



(1) Maintenance of high quality estuarine habitat and 

 good coastal water quality is essential to 

 maintaining North Carolina's seafood industry. 



(2) Duo to the location and nature of North Carolina's 

 major coastal watei" bodies, they are especially 

 sensitive to degraded water quality from inland 

 sources and immediate coastal areas. Often 

 activities produce no immediate effects but manifest 

 themselves in cummulative impacts in the estuaries. 



