(4) The Commission recommends that the General Assembly 



establish higher and more realistic minimum fines for 

 all violations of Marine Fisheries laws, rules and 

 regulations including a mandatory first conviction 

 fine of $50 and a mandatory fine of $250 for 

 subsequent convictions. 

 General Findings and Recommendations Applicable to all 

 Industries 



North Carolina's agriculture, forestry and seafood 

 industries have many similar problems. Such things as high 

 cost of production, foreign imports, lack of strong marketing 

 programs and highly variable prices, commonly plague these 

 industries. In addition, managment practices associated with 

 one of these industries can often adversely impact the others. 

 For example agriculture and forestry practices can directly 

 impact the estuarine environment through runoff of fresh water 

 carrying fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, which, in 

 turn, adversely effects the fishery resources in which the 

 seafood industry depends. Since the Agriculture, Forestrv and 

 Seafood Awareness Commission began its work, a better 

 understanding of the cause and effect problems has occurred 

 between the agriculture, forestry and seafood industries. The 

 Agriculture Cost Share Program for Nonpoint Source Pollution 

 Control is an example of a strong concentrated effort that has 

 been made by all three industries to cooperate and combine 

 resources to solve many of North Carolina's v/ater quality 

 problems . 



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