2019 an exceptional year for Spotted Seatrout

Recreational anglers had outstanding spotted seatrout catches this past autumn making 2019 one of the best years on record for the fishery in North Carolina.

Preliminary data show that recreational anglers harvested 751,178 spotted seatrout in September and October alone. That was nearly twice as many as the 398,625 fish harvested in the same period in 1992 – the highest on record until now.

Comparing January through October landings since 1981, 2019 is the second highest on record. Landings for November and December are still being tallied.

Fishermen saw bigger fish, too. The preliminary number of release citations in the N.C. Saltwater Fishing Tournament (fish 24 inches or longer that are released) increased by 193% in 2019 compared to the average of the previous five years.

Spotted seatrout, or speckled trout, is one of the most targeted recreational fish species in North Carolina. Primarily found in the coastal rivers and sounds, anglers catch these fish year-round.

In North Carolina, recreational anglers harvest most of the total spotted seatrout landed every year. From 2014 to 2018, recreational harvest averaged 86% of the total spotted seatrout landings.

Commercial fishermen in the past five years harvested an average of 14% of the total spotted seatrout harvest.

The plentiful abundance of spotted seatrout in 2019 was most likely due to successful year classes spawned in 2018 and 2019, as well as no cold stuns in the winter of 2018/2019. Research conducted by N.C. State University and the division has shown that mortality due to natural factors such as cold stuns, not fishing mortality, accounts for most of the spotted seatrout mortality in North Carolina.

Want to get involved with research on spotted seatrout? The public can contribute and help improve the data used in stock assessments by reporting tagged fish and donating their filleted carcasses to the division at designated freezers. Data from tagged spotted seatrout that are caught and reported to the division yield a wealth of information on movement patterns, habitat utilization, and mortality rates. Consequently, the division needs help from the public in reporting any fish caught with red or yellow tags. For more information on the division’s tagging program and how to report a tag, go to: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/fish-tagging-program-r.

In addition, recreational fisherman can donate filleted spotted seatrout carcass(es) to freezers in designated locations. From these carcasses, the division obtains data on the fish’s age, length, and sex, all of which are extremely important in stock assessments. For more information on where you can find a freezer, go to: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/carcass-collection.

The division is currently conducting a benchmark stock assessment on spotted seatrout. The results of the stock assessment will provide information on spotted seatrout’s current stock status, including whether the stock is overfished and if overfishing is occurring.