Estuarine Striped Bass Management Information
Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River Management Area
Results from the 2022 stock assessment update indicate the Albemarle Sound-Roanoke River striped bass stock continues to be overfished and overfishing is still occurring. The assessment passed peer review and the model results were accepted for use in management. Amendment 2 to the North Carolina Estuarine Striped Bass FMP was approved in November 2022. Management sets Total Allowable Landings designed to limit fishing mortality and maintain spawning stock biomass at target levels. Stocking resumed in the Albemarle Sound in 2023 to supplement multiple consecutive years (2017–2023) of very low recruitment. For more information, contact Charlton Godwin at Charlton.Godwin@deq.nc.gov
Central/Southern Management Area
The Central Southern Management Area (CSMA) stocks include the Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, and Cape Fear rivers. A traditional stock assessment cannot be conducted due to limited data; therefore, stock status is unknown. Matrix model results indicate CSMA populations are depressed to an extent that sustainability is unlikely at any level of fishing mortality and a tagging model showed consistent decline in abundance estimates for striped bass in the Cape Fear River from 2012–2018. Based on genetic analysis, a high percentage of the fish in these systems are hatchery reared (stocked) with limited natural recruitment occurring. Amendment 2 to the Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan maintained a recreational and commercial no-possession limit and gill net restrictions in the CSMA implemented in Supplement A to Amendment 1 to provide continued stock protection. In 2025, data through 2024 from the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers will be reviewed to determine if populations are self-sustaining and if sustainable harvest can be determined. The review will also allow for the assessment of the gill net prohibition. For more information, contact Todd Mathes at Todd.Mathes@deq.nc.gov.
| Species Leads |
|---|
| Charlton Godwin (Albemarle/Roanoke) Email: Charlton.Godwin@deq.nc.gov Phone: 252-381-6008 |
| Todd Mathes (Central/Southern) Email: Todd.Mathes@deq.nc.gov Phone: 252-948-3872 |