State eyes dreding financing

RALEIGH - The possibility that the federal government will stop paying for dredging in shallow draft channels along the North Carolina coast has state lawmakers looking for ways to keep the channels passable.

A legislative oversight committee on Tuesday received a report that offered alternatives to federal money. Among them are imposing waterway user fees, applying sales taxes already paid on boats to dredging projects and using local boat property taxes for such purposes.

NC MARTEC awarded training grant

The North Carolina Marine Training and Education Center (NC MARTEC) at Carteret Community College in Morehead City has been awarded a $193,000 grant from the Golden Leaf Foundation to expand training and operations. "This grant will help increase NC MARTEC's capacity to train a highly skilled workforce in the expanding marine trades industry …" said David Flagler, director of NC MARTEC. "In particular, the grant provides funding for tools and equipment to augment NC MARTEC's training in marine systems. These include mechanical systems, inboard engine and drive train installation, electrical and electronic systems and plumbing systems for today's yachts and marine vessels." Earlier this year, NC MARTEC entered into an agreement with Cummins Atlantic Marine Diesel to provide training for the company's marine diesel technicians in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Disappearing working waterfronts - a problem brewing for NC

New York Resident Fined $2500 for Selling Tuna On the Internet

NOAA has charged a resident of Forrest Hills, NY, with one count of selling an Atlantic tuna without a permit in violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The tuna was caught during a chartered fishing trip aboard a fishing vessel based in Brielle, NJ, but became illegal when it was offered for sale over the Internet by a private citizen not possessing a commercial permit.

Based on the evidence gathered in the investigation, NOAA's Office of General Counsel for Enforcement and Litigation assessed a $2,500 civil penalty against the fisherman for this violation. "This investigation is just one example of the fight against the harvesting and sale of illegal fish," said Special agent James Cassin, Jr., OLE - Northeast Division. "The OLE takes the profiting from these types of illegal activities very seriously."

To report illegal fishing activities contact the NOAA Fisheries Service's Enforcement Hot Line at 800-853-1964.

President Appoints Three Individuals to Tuna Commissions