Current Annual Report

The License and Statistics Annual Report provides summaries of commercial and recreational harvest and landings data along with commercial and for-hire license and permit sales statistics for the State of North Carolina.

2023 License and Statistics Annual Report ("The Big Book")

Download Individual Chapters

Cover Page and License-Statistics Overview
Chapter 1: License and Permit Statistics
Chapter 2: Commercial Fishery Statistics
Chapter 3: Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics
Chapter 4: Central and Southern Management Area Recreational Fishery Statistics
Chapter 5: N.C. Recreational Saltwater Activity Mail Surveys
Chapter 6: Fisheries Economics

Previous Annual Reports

2022 License and Statistics Annual Report
2021 License and Statistics Annual Report
2020 License and Statistics Annual Report
2019 License and Statistics Annual Report
2018 License and Statistics Annual Report
2017 License and Statistics Annual Report
2016 License and Statistics Annual Report
2015 License and Statistics Annual Report
2014 License and Statistics Annual Report
2013 License and Statistics Annual Report
2012 License and Statistics Annual Report
2011 License and Statistics Annual Report
2010 License and Statistics Annual Report
2009 License and Statistics Annual Report
2008 License and Statistics Annual Report
2007 License and Statistics Annual Report
2006 License and Statistics Annual Report
2005 License and Statistics Annual Report

Commercial Landings Query Tool

Select a Species Amberjacks Anglerfish Bluefish Bonito Butterfish Carp Catfishes Clams, Hard (Numbers) Clams, Hard (Meats) Cobia Crabs, Blue (Hard) Crabs, Blue (Peeler) Crabs, Blue (Soft and Peeler) Crabs, Blue (Soft) Crabs, Stone Croaker, Atlantic Cutlassfish, Atlantic Dogfish, Smooth Dogfish, Spiny Dolphinfish Drum, Black Drum, Red Eel, American Flounder, Southern Flounder, Summer Flounders, Other Garfish Grouper, Gag Grouper, Red Grouper, Scamp Grouper, Snowy Groupers, Other Grunts Hakes Harvestfish Herring, River Hogfish Jacks Kingfishes Mackerel, Atlantic Mackerel, King Mackerel, Spanish Menhaden, Atlantic Mullet, Striped Octopus Oysters (Bushels) Oysters (Meats) Perch, White Perch, Yellow Pigfish Pinfish Pompano Porgies Pufferfishes Scallop, Bay (Meats) Scallop, Calico Scallop, Sea (Meats) Scup Sea Basses Seatrout, Spotted Shad, American Shad, Gizzard Shad, Hickory Sharks Sheepshead Shrimp Skates Skippers Snapper, Red Snapper, Vermilion Snappers, Other Spadefish Spot Squid Striped Bass Swordfish Tilefish, Blueline Tilefish, Other Triggerfishes Tuna, Bigeye Tuna, Bluefin Tuna, Yellowfin Tunas, Other Tunny, Little Unclassified Fish (Food) Unclassified Fish (Industrial/Bait) Unclassified Shellfish for Food Wahoo Weakfish Whelks/Conchs (Meats) Select a Year 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Shrimp Landings Consist of white, pink, brown and rock species.

All confidential data is represented with an estimate (e.g. >5,000 lbs) and combined into the appopriate unclassified category (e.g. unclassified shellfish) to maintain confidentiality.

Hard Clam (meats) and Hard Clam (numbers) represent the same amount harvested. Numbers of clams were converted to pounds of meats to be consistent with other species.

Oyster (meats) and Oyster (bushels) represent the same amount harvested. Bushels of oysters were converted to pounds of meats to be consistent with other species.

The Trip Ticket Program was implemented in January 1994. Due to this improvement in data collection methods, comparisons with other years may be invalid. 

Quota Monitoring Report

Fish Dealer Reports

2023 Semi-Annual Dealer Report (November 2023) 
2022 Annual Dealer Report (June 2023) 
2022 Semi-Annual Dealer Report (November 2022) 
2021 Annual Dealer Report (June 2022) 
2021 Semi-Annual Dealer Report (November 2021) 
2020 Annual Dealer Report (July 2021) 
2020 Semi-Annual Fish Dealer Report (Oct. 2020) 
2019 Annual Dealer Report (May 2020) 
2019 Semi-Annual Dealer Report (Oct. 2019) 
2018 Annual Dealer Report (May 2019) 

Fisheries Landings Bulletins

2023 Semi-Annual Fisheries Bulletin (November 2023)
2022 Annual Fisheries Bulletin (June 2023) 
2022 Semi-Annual Fisheries Bulletin (November 2022) 
2021 Annual Fisheries Bulletin (June 2022) 
2021 Semi-Annual Fisheries Bulletin (November 2021) 
2020 Annual Fisheries Bulletin (July 2021) 
2020 Semi-Annual Fisheries Bulletin (Oct. 2020) 
2019 Annual Fisheries Bulletin (May 2020) 
2019 Semi-Annual Fisheries Bulletin (Oct. 2019) 
2018 Annual Fisheries Bulletin (May 2019) 

Commercial Finfish and Shellfish Conversion Factor Reports

Validation of N.C. Commercial Finfish and Shellfish Conversion Factors (March 2013) 
2005-2010 Pilot Study of Conversion Factors Used by the N.C. Trip Ticket Program (June 2010)

Dig into recreational fishing data using the NOAA Data Query Tool

View the HMS Tuna and Billfish Report (4/10/2024)

Recreational Commercial Gear Landings

Statistics for Recreational Commercial Gear License landings were collected and compiled from 2002-2008. Those findings are reported here.

2002 RCGL Landings
2003 RCGL Landings
2004 RCGL Landings
2005 RCGL Landings
2006 RCGL Landings
2007 RCGL Landings
2008 RCGL Landings

A Business and Economic Profile of Seafood Dealers In North Carolina: Decadal Comparison (Sept. 2020)
An Economic Profile Analysis of Coastal Commercial Fishing Counties in North Carolina (March 2014)
An Economic Profile Analysis of the Commercial Fishing Industries of State-Managed Species in North Carolina (Nov. 2018)
An Economic Profile Analysis of the Commercial Fishing Industry of North Carolina Including Profiles for Interjurisdictionally-Managed Species (Jan. 2009)

See more social and economic data on North Carolina’s fisheries

2017-2022 Cooperative Regional Statistics Program Completion Report (Sept. 2022)
An Example of Cooperation to Correct Commercial Fisheries Data - The Pound Net Fishery (Sept. 2019)
N.C. Hurricane Florence Commercial Fishery Assistance Program (Aug. 2019)
North Carolina Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) Commercial Fishery (July 2019)
N.C. Sandbar and Dusky Shark Commercial Fishery (Aug. 2017)
Impacts of Hurricanes on N.C. Fisheries (Oct. 2007)