CHPPs February 2004

The Fisheries Reform Act of 1997 required the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, with input and approval from the three state commissions that regulate water quality, coastal resources and marine fisheries, to a develop Coastal Habitat Protection Plan (CHPP) for the protection of the state's estuarine systems. The act also requires public input in the development of the CHPP.

The department has nearly completed the draft plan for long-term enhancement of the habitats that support North Carolina's coastal fisheries. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the draft, including recommendations for management actions, this summer. In September, the CHPP will be presented to the Coastal Resources, Environmental Management, and Marine Fisheries commissions. Once adopted by the commissions in December 2004, the plan will help ensure coordinated coastal habitat protection strategies and consistent actions among these commissions and their supporting DENR agencies.

The CHPP area includes all waters flowing into North Carolina's coastal waters and the watersheds they drain, and is divided into 11 management units. Plan development must take into account North Carolina's weather and climate, geology and hydrology, as well as the effects of human population and land use. The current status of fisheries may be an indicator of the potential impacts of habitat degradation and loss, and the CHPP recommendations are intended to provide guidance that will support fisheries for future generations.