CCA North Carolina Newsletter
October 12, 2022
Inside this issue
  Fisheries Management Lawsuit Update  
 

State of North Carolina Decides Not to Appeal Fisheries Management Lawsuit to North Carolina Supreme Court

Lawsuit will Proceed to Pre-Trial Discovery Phase

RALEIGH (Oct. 14, 2022) - The lawsuit brought by 86 citizen plaintiffs and the Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina to hold the State accountable for mismanaging North Carolina's coastal fisheries will continue without an appeal to the North Carolina Supreme Court, it was confirmed on Tuesday.

In July 2021, a Wake County trial judge rejected the State's request for immunity from the lawsuit. The State appealed that decision, and on September 6 of this year, the North Carolina Court of Appeals unanimously affirmed the decision, rejecting all of the State's arguments on appeal. As the Court of Appeals explained in its opinion (a copy of which can be found here), the State has "an affirmative duty . . . to preserve the people's right to fish and harvest fish," which includes a "duty to preserve fisheries for the benefit of the public" and a "duty to keep fisheries safe from injury, harm, or destruction for all time." On Tuesday, it was confirmed that the State of North Carolina will not appeal that decision further to the North Carolina Supreme Court, the state's highest court. 

As a result, the case will be remanded back to the trial court, where the lawsuit will proceed to a pre-trial discovery phase where the plaintiffs have an opportunity to establish the merits of their claims-claims that CCA NC and the citizen coalition maintain are supported by overwhelming evidence, including the State's own data.  

"We look forward to proving our case on the merits and ensuring that a legacy of sustainable coastal fisheries will be there for all our children and grandchildren," said CCA NC's Executive Director, David Sneed.

 

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  Save Our Fisheries - Learn More, Part 2 - The Tragedy of the Commons  
 

Last month, we launched the Save Our Fisheries campaign to support our efforts to hold the state of North Carolina accountable for decades of mismanagement that have severely degraded the health and viability of once-abundant fish stocks within its renowned coastal sounds and estuarine waters. Last week we posted our first educational paper in a series entitled, THE DEMISE OF NORTH CAROLINA'S COASTAL FISHERIES RESOURCES & THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO FISH, to help raise awareness of the issues facing our coastal fisheries and consolidate a broad-based, grassroots demand for policy reforms. This week our second paper in the series entitled, The Tragedy of the Commons, has been posted on our website.

This series of papers is intended to put aside the rhetoric that has dominated debate over the management of our public trust resources in North Carolina over the last 30 plus years and provide the public with factual information about how we got to this point in the management of our coastal fisheries in North Carolina and what reforms are needed to rebuild and restore our once abundant fisheries. 

You can find the papers on our website by clicking on Save Our Fisheries | Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina | CCA NC and scrolling down to the CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE button at the bottom of the page. Additional papers will be posted weekly. We encourage everyone to read and follow this series, so you can become a more confident advocate for the resource. While you are on the Save Our Fisheries page, we also encourage you to SIGN THE PETITION and consider donating to support the campaign. We will mail Save Our Fisheries stickers to everyone that makes a donation.

The Save Our Fisheries campaign gives a needed voice to all citizens of North Carolina to ensure that outdated and inequitable marine fisheries management practices are reformed, critical fish stocks are rebuilt, and our coastal fisheries are restored to health and abundance. The one thing we cannot do is simply accept the status quo.

 

 

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  Upcoming CCA NC Events  
 
Text David Daniel at (919) 422-2079 to register.  Please indicate your top four sessions so your spot can be reserved! Tell a friend!

 

The Onslow Bay CCA NC Chapter will be hosting their annual fall Military Appreciation Fishing Tournament the weekend of October 29th in Swansboro. Twice a year, chapter members and supporters host military veterans and active-duty personnel for a day of fishing and fellowship dinners to thank our military community for their service to our country. 

This year, you can support the event by purchasing a raffle ticket for a chance to win a special donated hunting trip for up to five people in Duplin County: Duplin County Hunting Raffle | Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina | CCA NC 

For more information or to volunteer to help, please contact Joe Yager: jgyager510@gmail.com

 

We have a good crowd already signed up but plenty of room for more folks to join us to celebrate coastal conservation and raise some funds to support the Save Our Fisheries campaign! Tickets are available online at: 2022 Wayne County Banquet Tickets - CCA North Carolina (ccanc.org) or by calling Brian Corbett (252) 531-7858,  Michael Lambert (919) 252-8216 or Matthew Wallin (757) 508-3980.

 

Reserve your seats online at 2022 Triad Chapter Banquet - CCA North Carolina (ccanc.org) or call Chuck Swaim (336) 803-2210 or Ryan Coleman (336) 818-8928. Space is limited!

 

Presented this year in partnership with the Raleigh Salt Water Fishing Club! Registration is now open!
 

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