NMFS Considers ESA Permit Application for Fisheries’ Bycatch Take of Protected Sea Turtles and Sturgeon Over a Ten-Year Period

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced that the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Marine Fisheries has applied for an Endangered Species Act (ESA) permit to take ESA-listed sea turtles and sturgeon associated with the otherwise lawful gill net fisheries operating in the inshore waters of North Carolina for a period of ten years. NMFS will accept public comments on the application through January 23, 2023.