October 15, 2026 — Commercial fishermen in North Carolina are pushing back against a proposed expansion of military training operations in Pamlico Sound, warning that additional restricted waters could limit access to productive fishing grounds and interfere with navigation.
According to reporting by Carolina Coast Online, the proposal from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point would increase aircraft and unmanned systems operations, add watercraft operations, and expand restricted waters around two longtime bombing targets in Pamlico Sound.
The proposal is currently undergoing a federal consistency review by the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (DCM), which must determine whether the project complies with the state’s coastal management laws and regulations.
The plan would expand the existing intermittent restricted waters surrounding Bombing Target 9 at Brant Island Shoal and Bombing Target 11 on Piney Island, effectively connecting the two areas into a single restricted zone stretching more than nine miles across Pamlico Sound near the mouths of the Neuse and Bay rivers.
Project documents acknowledge that activating the expanded area could “impede navigation or interfere with access or use of public trust areas or estuarine waters.” The documents do not, however, define how frequently the proposed “intermittent” restrictions would be put in place. The Navy would issue Notices to Mariners before closing the larger area to non-military users.