Spotted Seatrout Management Information

Spotted Seatrout Annual Update

The peer reviewed 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). Amendment 1 to the Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan was adopted in March of 2025 and implemented management measures to end overfishing and achieve sustainable harvest. Management measures included a recreational slot limit, a reduction in the recreational bag limit, and day-of-week commercial harvest closures. For more information, contact Lucas Pensinger at Lucas.Pensinger@deq.nc.gov or Melinda Lambert at Melinda.Lambert@deq.nc.gov.