Last-minute changes made to legislation in the state Senate in June would have banned all shrimp trawling in the state’s inshore waters and within a half-mile of the shoreline for four years. After a hastily organized lobbying campaign from shrimpers and their allies, the legislature put the trawling ban on ice—for now.

Mayors of the six towns in Dare County co-signed a letter addressed to all the members of the North Carolina General Assembly “regarding S205 and similar bills,” sharing concerns over proposals they see as restricting local authority.