Spotted Seatrout Management Information

Spotted Seatrout Annual Update

Spotted Seatrout Species Profile

The 2022 stock assessment indicated the Spotted Seatrout stock in North Carolina and Virginia was not overfished but overfishing was occurring in the terminal year (2019). Spotted Seatrout are currently managed under Amendment 1 to the FMP.  Amendment 1 was adopted in March 2025 and implemented management measures to end overfishing. Management measures included a recreational slot limit, a reduction in the recreational bag limit, and day-of-week commercial harvest closures. In 2025 and 2026 widespread cold stun events caused the closure of the fishery until July 1 of those years, in accordance with the Amendment 1 cold stun adaptive management strategy. The effects of those cold stuns on the stock will be analyzed when data are available in 2027. The next comprehensive review of the FMP is scheduled to begin in 2030.