Outer Banks leaders, legislators decry state bill change that would ‘irreparably damage’ local shrimping industry

Two trawlers at work are visible from shore behind a breaking wave on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on Dec. 17, 2022. (Photo by Corinne Saunders)

By Corinne Saunders

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Outer Banks leaders and legislators have voiced opposition to an amendment that they say would “irreparably damage” the Outer Banks’ shrimping industry, which was inserted into House Bill 442 on Tuesday, the day before a scheduled North Carolina Senate vote.

The amended bill passed the Senate and is calendared for a third reading on Thursday.

The amendment would ban all shrimp trawling in the state’s inshore waters and within 1/2 mile of the Atlantic Ocean shoreline.

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