The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Onslow County at 6 p.m. on Thursday, February 12, 2026. The event will take place both in person at the Holly Ridge Community Center, located at 404 Sound Rd, Holly Ridge, NC 28445, and via web conference.
The Division is seeking public input on several shellfish lease applications:
– Old Baldy Aquaculture, LLC (Matthew T. Miller) has applied for a 4.78-acre Shellfish Bottom Lease (No. 25-001BL) in the New River below the NC Highway 172 bridge.
– Old Baldy Aquaculture, LLC (Matthew T. Miller) has also applied for a 1.19-acre Shellfish Bottom Lease (No. 25-002BL) in Stones Bay.
– Alonzo L. Davis III has submitted applications for a Shellfish Bottom and Water Column lease (Nos. 25-003BL/25-004WC), covering 0.76 acres in Seaside Areas.
– Stump Sound Oyster Company, LLC (Shawn P. Burns) seeks a 4.77-acre Shellfish Bottom Lease and Water Column Lease (Nos. 25-015BL/25-016WC) in Stones Bay.
– Anthony A. Grant has applied for a 0.87-acre Shellfish Bottom Lease (No. 25-017BL) in Alligator Bay.
– Alonzo L. Davis III also seeks an additional lease of 0.58 acres for both bottom and water column use (Nos. 25-020BL/25-021WC) in Seaside Areas.
– Joshua A. Thompson has requested a combined bottom and water column lease of 3.73 acres (Nos. 25-026BL/25-027WC) in Ellis Cove.
– Thompson has also filed applications for two separate water column leases: one measuring 3.65 acres (No. 25-028WC) in the New River below NC Highway 172 bridge, and another covering 4.24 acres (No. 25-029WC) in Stones Bay.
Each proposed lease area will be marked as either Proposed Shellfish Bottom Lease or Water Column Lease with their respective numbers.
Members of the public can comment on these proposals during the hearing either by attending in person or joining through Webex web conference services; those wishing to speak remotely must pre-register by Wednesday, February 11 at deq.nc.gov/onslow-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-speaker-registration while those attending physically should register between 5 p.m.–6 p.m., just before the hearing starts.
Information about the hearing—including access links to join online, call-in numbers, presentation slides and biological investigation reports—is available on the Division’s dedicated webpage at deq.nc.gov/2026-02-12-onslow-county-shellfish-lease-hearing.
Written comments may be submitted up to twenty-four hours after the hearing ends via an online form at nc.gov/onslow-county-shellfish-lease-hearing-comment-form or by mail addressed to: C Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program PO Box 769 3441 Arendell St Morehead City, NC 28557–0769.
For further details about this process or application review procedures contact the N.C Division of Marine Fisheries Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program by phone at 252–515–5495 or email SLAP@deq.nc.gov.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality manages natural resources across air, land, water and coastal environments statewide through its various divisions according to its official website. The agency provides regulatory oversight related to environmental quality—including permit issuance and waste management—and supports local stewardship through regional offices across North Carolina (source). The department was established following restructuring efforts completed in 2015 (source). Its central office is located at 217 West Jones Street in Raleigh (source).
