The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries announced on March 10 that it will hold a public hearing regarding proposed shellfish bottom and water column leases in Hyde County at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. The hearing is set to take place both in person at the Hyde County Courthouse in Swan Quarter and online via Webex.
The upcoming hearing will address applications from three companies seeking new shellfish leases. Good Time Charlie’s Fisheries LLC, represented by Mary E. Van Salisbury, has applied for a 2.12-acre lease in Back Creek. Angel’s Breath Oyster Company LLC, with Michael L. D’Amelio as applicant, seeks a 4.04-acre lease in Rose Bay. Oasis Oyster Company LLC, led by Maxwell A. D’Amelio, has requested a 4.09-acre lease also located in Rose Bay.
Each proposed lease area will be marked at its corners with signs indicating whether it is a Proposed Shellfish Bottom Lease or Water Column Lease along with the relevant identifying numbers.
Members of the public are invited to comment on these proposals either in person or through Webex during the hearing. Those wishing to speak online are asked to pre-register at deq.nc.gov/hyde-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration, while individuals attending in person should register between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the courthouse before the meeting begins.
Additional information about the public hearing—including web conference details, presentation slides, and biological investigation reports—is available at deq.nc.gov/2026-03-18-hyde-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.
Written comments may also be submitted up to 24 hours after the hearing using an online form or by mailing them to the NC Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program office in Morehead City.
