State lawmakers will get to hear Tuesday about an ambitious plan to make North Carolina more competitive with other coastal states that have far more invested in their oyster and shellfish industries.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is set to present its reports, including a 10-year plan mandated by the General Assembly in 2015 to build and manage new oyster habitat, to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources when it meets at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Wilmington. The meeting will be at the Marine Biotechnology in North Carolina Building conference room in the University of North Carolina at Wilmington’s CREST Research Park at 5600 Marvin K. Moss Lane.

The division is expected to detail oyster research, recommended policy changes to boost the shellfish industry and recommendations for creating a network of oyster sanctuaries in Albemarle and Pamlico sounds. The meeting will also include a tour of a UNCW shellfish research hatchery and presentation of a beach erosion study report.

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