NOAA 97-R175

Contact: Gordon Helm               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
                                   12/16/97

NOAA OFFICIAL APPLAUDS NORTH CAROLINA POWER AND LIGHT, STATE ENVIRONMENTALISTS, FOR REMOVING QUAKER NECK DAM

The future health and rebuilding of several commercial and recreational marine fish species along with their habitat on the Neuse River will be substantially improved following the removal of the Quaker Neck Dam, an official with the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said today.

"With this single action, 75 miles of the Neuse River and 925 miles of its tributary will be available to benefit a wide range of fish species who will now be able to spawn there before returning to the ocean," said Terry Garcia, assistant secretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA deputy administrator. "North Carolina Power and Light, the state, environmentalists and others who worked hard for this day deserve our thanks."

Many such dams, built near the turn of the century, have contributed to a drastic reduction of anadromous fish populations by blocking their access to historic spawning grounds. This restoration, coupled with the expected removal of Cherry Hospital dam, will permit the remaining stocks of American shad, hickory shad, blueback herring, alewife, striped bass and Atlantic sturgeon to access expanded spawning areas and begin the rebuilding process of these species in the Neuse River. These growing stocks will provide local fishermen an opportunity to revive their commercial and recreational fisheries.

"In my 20 years experience as a fisheries manager, I have seen scores of dams go in, but I have never seen a dam come out," said Rolland Schmitten, director of NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, the agency responsible for managing anadromous fish in federal waters.

A team of private, state and federal members worked for more than seven years to accomplish the task, overcoming numerous barriers and setbacks. As a result, the current plan to mechanically remove the dam addresses all legal and safety issues, as well as totally satisfying the project objectives in a cost-effective manner.