Recreational License Spending Plan On Agenda

[NCangler]

MOREHEAD CITY – The state would name the first recipients of grants funded by Coastal Recreational Fishing License revenues early next year under a plan that goes before the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission at its April 25-27 meeting in Kill Devil Hills.

The MFC is scheduled to vote on funding priorities and a funding process timeline. The timeline calls for requesting grant proposals this summer. Accepted proposals would then go through peer reviews in the fall and the MFC and Wildlife Resources Commission would decide on them by Feb. 15, 2008.

Grant recipients would be notified in the spring with the funding cycle beginning July 1.

Both the MFC and WRC must approve all spending of license revenues.

A committee consisting of three MFC members and three WRC members endorsed the draft priorities and timeline April 4. The full WRC is expected to consider the draft plan at its May 18 meeting.

Revenues from license sales go into two different funds, depending on the type of license. Expenditures from both funds must be used to manage, protect, restore, develop, cultivate, conserve and enhance the marine resources.

Revenues from the sale of all lifetime coastal fishing licenses and a portion of the lifetime unified hunting and statewide fishing licenses go into a N.C. Marine Resources Endowment Fund. Only the interest of this account may be spent.

Revenues from the sale of annual and 10-day coastal fishing licenses and a portion of the annual unified hunting and statewide fishing licenses go into a N.C. Marine Resources Fund. The MFC and WRC may authorize spending the principal of this account.

The MFC business meeting begins at 9 a.m. April 26 and 8:30 a.m. April 27 at the Ramada Inn in Kill Devil Hills. The commission will hear public comments at 7 p.m. April 25 at the same location.

For more information about this meeting, or the attached agenda, contact Patricia Smith by e-mail at tricia.smith@ncmail.net or by calling (800) 682-2632 or (252) 726-7021.