On the North Carolina coast, a fight's brewing over shellfish farms, moratoriums

On the North Carolina coast, a fight's brewing over shellfish farms, moratoriums

A simmering dispute over coastal water rights, views and who gets to do what where is in danger of moving from a slow boil to an outright dispute that could soon reach the halls of the NC General Assembly in Raleigh. In July 2026, a temporary moratorium that bans new shellfish leases in New Hanover County is set to expire – unless extended by legislators in a bill filed in late April 2026. The prohibition on new leases, which went into effect in…