North Carolina’s Cape Fear River Watch awarded $120,000 to aid subsistence fishers

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded $120,000 to North Carolina’s Cape Fear River Watch Inc through a competitive environmental justice cooperative agreement.
The New Hanover and Pender counties-focused organization, which is among 10 groups to receive awards this year, will devote its funding to aid subsistence fishing along the river, the northeast portion of which impaired. Tissue samples from fish caught in Northeast Cape Fear River were found to have high levels of mercury contamination among other toxins, putting the health of those who rely on the river’s fish at risk. To address this issue, Cape Fear River Watch will work with partners to educate and empower subsistence fishers living in the area.
The funding for this project is among $1.2 million recently announced through the EPA’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement program, which helps nonprofits and tribal organizations address environmental issues affecting the country’s low-income and/or minority communities.
“This funding will help dedicated and diverse organizations that work every day to address crucial environmental justice issues in their communities,” EPA Office of Environmental Justice Director Matthew Tejada said. “The innovative and collaborative projects these funds support will bring lasting environmental and public health benefits to local communities.”