The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Wednesday, April 24, 1996              TAG: 9604240427
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 
TYPE: North Carolina Briefs 
DATELINE: MOREHEAD CITY                      LENGTH: Short :   25 lines

HERRING SEASON ENDING

Today is the last day commercial fishermen will be allowed to catch blueback herring and alewife.

Officials with the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries will shut down the herring season at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.

Watermen were allowed to land 250,000 pounds of herring caught in pound nets this spring. As of Monday evening, 207,000 pounds had been landed, state Division of Marine Fisheries spokesman Jess Hawkins said Tuesday. ``If the run continues like it has been, we won't be able to extend the season because the entire quota will have been caught by Wednesday night,'' Hawkins said.

For more information, call the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, (800) 682-2632 or (919) 726-7021. by CNB