CCA NC responds to state appeal, urges action to restore North Carolina fisheries
Coastal Conservation Association North Carolina says the appeal does not change the scientific evidence, the condition of the state’s coastal fish stocks, or the need for practical solutions.
The State of North Carolina on Wednesday filed notice that it will appeal the Wake County Superior Court’s Aug. 17 liability ruling in CCA North Carolina’s coastal fisheries lawsuit to the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
The case has entered the remedy stage following the Court’s ruling that the State failed to meet its legal obligations to protect North Carolina’s public-trust coastal fisheries.
Statement from David Sneed, Executive Director of the Coastal Conservation Association North Carolina
“We are disappointed that the State has chosen to file a meritless, procedurally improper appeal rather than focus its energy on addressing the serious problems identified at trial and moving the State’s fisheries managers toward practical, science-based solutions. This meritless appeal does not change the need to act to restore our coastal fisheries, and North Carolinians have waited long enough for meaningful progress.
“After nearly six years of hard-fought litigation and a six-week trial centered on extensive scientific evidence and fisheries data—including undisputed evidence that not a single one of North Carolina’s 13 state-managed coastal fish stocks is currently viable—the Court ruled that the State of North Carolina failed in its legal responsibility to protect and preserve the public’s coastal fisheries.
“CCA NC stands ready to work with the State’s fisheries managers, fisheries scientists and stakeholders across North Carolina to develop practical solutions that rebuild these public resources for current and future generations.”