The sounds and rivers of North Carolina are a vital part of our coastal marine ecosystems that are characterized by their incredibly diverse and abundant marine life . The sounds provide a nursery for many different kinds of fishes, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish to thrive and support the critical coastal economies our coastal fisheries once provided. Unfortunately, this plentiful environment also attracts inshore shrimp trawling, a fishing method that utilizes heavy chains to drag nets across a seafloor that has already been stripped bare of its resources from years of this practice. For every pound of shrimp harvested using trawl gear, more than four pounds of sea life are killed as bycatch - the unintentional catching of marine life that comes from the non-selective nature of the fishing gear that is used. This results in killing and disposing hundreds of millions of members within 64 different species that are commercially, recreationally, and ecologically valuable. Though the economic value of commercial shrimp trawling may be high, shrimp are also plentifully available to harvest in coastal ocean waters where the concern of bycatch and environmental destruction is minimized. Unlike our neighbors to the south, North Carolina is the only state on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that still allows large-scale inshore shrimp trawling. This attracts many out-of-state trawlers, who come from their home states in which they are prohibited from trawling in their own inshore waters. Consequently, some of the most important fishery populations, such as the southern flounder, weakfish, spot, croaker and blue crab, are under attack - and have either collapsed or are collapsing. Recent research shows that 69% of North Carolinians, regardless of party affiliation, are in favor of closing our sounds to bottom trawling to prevent this influx of non-native fishers in our state. We must put a stop to inshore shrimp trawling NOW to prevent further, irreversible damage to one of North Carolina's most valuable resources and to save our sounds.

The sounds and rivers of North Carolina are a vital part of our coastal marine ecosystems that are characterized by their incredibly diverse and abundant marine life . The sounds provide a nursery for many different kinds of fishes, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish to thrive and support the critical coastal economies our coastal fisheries once provided. Unfortunately, this plentiful environment also attracts inshore shrimp trawling, a fishing method that utilizes heavy chains to drag nets across a seafloor that has already been stripped bare of its resources from years of this practice. For every pound of shrimp harvested using trawl gear, more than four pounds of sea life are killed as bycatch - the unintentional catching of marine life that comes from the non-selective nature of the fishing gear that is used. This results in killing and disposing hundreds of millions of members within 64 different species that are commercially, recreationally, and ecologically valuable. Though the economic value of commercial shrimp trawling may be high, shrimp are also plentifully available to harvest in coastal ocean waters where the concern of bycatch and environmental destruction is minimized. Unlike our neighbors to the south, North Carolina is the only state on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that still allows large-scale inshore shrimp trawling. This attracts many out-of-state trawlers, who come from their home states in which they are prohibited from trawling in their own inshore waters. Consequently, some of the most important fishery populations, such as the southern flounder, weakfish, spot, croaker and blue crab, are under attack - and have either collapsed or are collapsing. Recent research shows that 69% of North Carolinians, regardless of party affiliation, are in favor of closing our sounds to bottom trawling to prevent this influx of non-native fishers in our state. We must put a stop to inshore shrimp trawling NOW to prevent further, irreversible damage to one of North Carolina's most valuable resources and ecosystems.

The sounds and rivers of North Carolina are a vital part of our coastal marine ecosystems that are characterized by their incredibly diverse and abundant marine life . The sounds provide a nursery for many different kinds of fishes, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish to thrive and support the critical coastal economies our coastal fisheries once provided. Unfortunately, this plentiful environment also attracts inshore shrimp trawling, a fishing method that utilizes heavy chains to drag nets across a seafloor that has already been stripped bare of its resources from years of this practice. For every pound of shrimp harvested using trawl gear, more than four pounds of sea life are killed as bycatch - the unintentional catching of marine life that comes from the non-selective nature of the fishing gear that is used. This results in killing and disposing hundreds of millions of members within 64 different species that are commercially, recreationally, and ecologically valuable. Though the economic value of commercial shrimp trawling may be high, shrimp are also plentifully available to harvest in coastal ocean waters where the concern of bycatch and environmental destruction is minimized. Unlike our neighbors to the south, North Carolina is the only state on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that still allows large-scale inshore shrimp trawling. This attracts many out-of-state trawlers, who come from their home states in which they are prohibited from trawling in their own inshore waters. Consequently, some of the most important fishery populations, such as the southern flounder, weakfish, spot, croaker and blue crab, are under attack - and have either collapsed or are collapsing. Recent research shows that 69% of North Carolinians, regardless of party affiliation, are in favor of closing our sounds to bottom trawling to prevent this influx of non-native fishers in our state. We must put a stop to inshore shrimp trawling NOW to prevent further, irreversible damage to one of North Carolina's most valuable resources and ecosystems.

The sounds and rivers of North Carolina are a vital part of our coastal marine ecosystems that are characterized by their incredibly diverse and abundant marine life . The sounds provide a nursery for many different kinds of fishes, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish to thrive and support the critical coastal economies our coastal fisheries once provided. Unfortunately, this plentiful environment also attracts inshore shrimp trawling, a fishing method that utilizes heavy chains to drag nets across a seafloor that has already been stripped bare of its resources from years of this practice. For every pound of shrimp harvested using trawl gear, more than four pounds of sea life are killed as bycatch - the unintentional catching of marine life that comes from the non-selective nature of the fishing gear that is used. This results in killing and disposing hundreds of millions of members within 64 different species that are commercially, recreationally, and ecologically valuable. Though the economic value of commercial shrimp trawling may be high, shrimp are also plentifully available to harvest in coastal ocean waters where the concern of bycatch and environmental destruction is minimized. Unlike our neighbors to the south, North Carolina is the only state on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that still allows large-scale inshore shrimp trawling. This attracts many out-of-state trawlers, who come from their home states in which they are prohibited from trawling in their own inshore waters. Consequently, some of the most important fishery populations, such as the southern flounder, weakfish, spot, croaker and blue crab, are under attack - and have either collapsed or are collapsing. Recent research shows that 69% of North Carolinians, regardless of party affiliation, are in favor of closing our sounds to bottom trawling to prevent this influx of non-native fishers in our state. We must put a stop to inshore shrimp trawling NOW to prevent further, irreversible damage to one of North Carolina's most valuable resources and ecosystems.

The sounds and rivers of North Carolina are a vital part of our coastal marine ecosystems that are characterized by their incredibly diverse and abundant marine life . The sounds provide a nursery for many different kinds of fishes, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish to thrive and support the critical coastal economies our coastal fisheries once provided. Unfortunately, this plentiful environment also attracts inshore shrimp trawling, a fishing method that utilizes heavy chains to drag nets across a seafloor that has already been stripped bare of its resources from years of this practice. For every pound of shrimp harvested using trawl gear, more than four pounds of sea life are killed as bycatch - the unintentional catching of marine life that comes from the non-selective nature of the fishing gear that is used. This results in killing and disposing hundreds of millions of members within 64 different species that are commercially, recreationally, and ecologically valuable. Though the economic value of commercial shrimp trawling may be high, shrimp are also plentifully available to harvest in coastal ocean waters where the concern of bycatch and environmental destruction is minimized. Unlike our neighbors to the south, North Carolina is the only state on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts that still allows large-scale inshore shrimp trawling. This attracts many out-of-state trawlers, who come from their home states in which they are prohibited from trawling in their own inshore waters. Consequently, some of the most important fishery populations, such as the southern flounder, weakfish, spot, croaker and blue crab, are under attack - and have either collapsed or are collapsing. Recent research shows that 69% of North Carolinians, regardless of party affiliation, are in favor of closing our sounds to bottom trawling to prevent this influx of non-native fishers in our state. We must put a stop to inshore shrimp trawling NOW to prevent further, irreversible damage to one of North Carolina's most valuable resources and ecosystems.