Matthew Barr interviewed Michael Voiland for the Wild Caught oral history project in Sneads Ferry, North Carolina. Voiland, then Director of North Carolina Sea Grant, discusses his involvement in the state’s Waterfront Access Study Committee, which was formed in 2006 to address increasing public and legislative concerns about waterfront access, especially for working waterfronts. This initiative followed a meeting co-sponsored by Sea Grant in New Bern that highlighted the loss of waterfront heritage and industry. In the interview, Voiland explains how the study group examined issues related to public access, working waterfront preservation, and the broader implications for North Carolina’s coastal communities. He recounts the committee’s efforts to propose solutions, including the creation of a waterfront trust fund and the introduction of present-use value taxation for working waterfronts, modeled on similar benefits for agricultural and forestry land. Voiland describes how the committee's 27 recommendations aimed to preserve North Carolina’s coastal culture by supporting both public and commercial access to the waterfront. He emphasizes the importance of zoning innovations, public education, and better management of state-owned submerged lands to facilitate sustainable waterfront use. Voiland also addresses the General Assembly’s eventual actions, including the establishment of the $20 million Waterfront Access and Marine Industry Fund, which sought to maintain public and commercial fisheries access along North Carolina's shoreline. The discussion touches on the significance of these legislative actions and their potential to preserve coastal heritage and commercial fisheries in the state. Voiland concludes by reflecting on the broader regional and national implications of North Carolina’s efforts, positioning the state alongside Maine and Florida in tackling waterfront access issues.