August 13, 2025 — The North Carolina Coastal Counties Fisheries Coalition has officially been formed, following a successful effort to stop a shrimp trawling ban from becoming law.
The alliance held their first meeting a week ago, with the future of the fishing and seafood industry in mind.
“I think everybody’s finally figured out that we don’t need individual voices. We need a coalition speaking on behalf of all of these coastal counties,” said Bob Woodard, the Dare County Board of Commissioners chairman who proposed the idea for the coalition and will serve as its chair.
In late June, a bill originally meant to expand flounder and red snapper seasons had an amendment introduced to ban shrimp trawling in many coastal waters on the North Carolina coast. Supporters of the amendment felt it aligned North Carolina with Virginia and South Carolina’s standards and would protect fish and environmental habitats.
Many coastal communities did not agree, traveling to Raleigh to tell legislators this. They felt it would be detrimental to the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen and that there was no due process before the amendment was introduced.