THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, October 12, 1995 TAG: 9510120324
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MOREHEAD CITY LENGTH: Medium: 51 lines
State fisheries officials on Wednesday were searching statutes and fisheries rules for a provision that would let them close a portion of the Neuse River to commercial fishing, The Virginian-Pilot has learned.
Division of Marine Fisheries officials said late Wednesday afternoon that the agency is trying to preserve public confidence in the state's seafood industry in light of a recent health warning for a portion of the waterway.
``We want to be able to tell the public that the product affected by the fish kill is not on the market,'' said one fisheries official. ``And the only way to satisfy that is to close the entire area.''
Since the state issued a warning late last week telling people to avoid contact with the Neuse River and to avoid consuming fish, shellfish, and crabs harvested near the kill, consumers have begun to question the safety of all North Carolina seafood, division officials have said.
And recent news reports that commercial fishermen and crabbers continue to ply the waters of the Neuse River despite the fish kill and health warning have shaken consumer confidence further.
``We issued the health warning because we didn't know the effects on human health within the vicinity of the fish kill,'' said Debbie Crane, spokesman for the Department of Environment Health and Natural Resources. ``We're just going to have to find some legal hook to base this on,'' Crane said.
State fisheries officials hope that by closing the area affected by the kill, consumers will be assured that the seafood reaching the market is safe to eat.
Jerry Schill, executive director of the state Fisheries Association, the states's largest commercial fishing trade group, said the decision to close the area of the Neuse River will affect about 24 families whose livelihood depends on crab fishing.
``I'm trying to make some telephone calls tonight to figure out what we're going to do,'' Schill said.
Division officials are scheduled to meet this morning with lawyers from the state attorney general's office to decide their next step.
The health warning issued last week advises people on the possible side effects of a toxic algae, pfiesteria piscimonte, that has been linked to a recent spate of fish kills on the lower Neuse River.
The dead fish have been found in an eight-mile stretch of river surrounding New Bern. Some people who have come into contact with the water are reporting dizziness, rashes and sores. by CNB