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. An additional concern is the eight (2017-2024) consecutive of very poor spawning success. The assessment was recommended for management use by a peer review panel and model results were accepted for management use by the Division. 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. To provide the greatest potential for stock recovery and to maximize the number of females returning to the spawning grounds each year, the 2024 Revision to Amendment 2 implemented a harvest closure in the Albemarle Sound and Roanoke River Management Areas. Stocking continued in the Albemarle Sound in 2024 to supplement multiple consecutive years (2017–2023) of very low recruitment. For more information, contact Robert Corbett at Robert.Corbett@deq.nc.gov
Central/Southern Management Area
The 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. Indications are that CSMA populations are depressed to an extent that sustainability is unlikely at any level of fishing mortality Based on genetic analysis, a high percentage of striped bass in these systems are hatchery reared (stocked) with limited natural recruitment occurring. In the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers, factors other than fishing mortality and inadequate spawning abundance are preventing sustainability of the Striped Bass stocks. Consistent with the Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2 adaptive management framework, the Division and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission have developed harvest management measures that provide protection for, and access to, the resource. The harvest management strategy focuses harvest on stocked fish in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers but limits harvest of Albemarle-Roanoke stock Striped Bass that also reside in these rivers. The Striped Bass fishery in the Cape Fear River remains closed. For more information, contact Todd Mathes at Todd.Mathes@deq.nc.gov.
| Species Leads |
|---|
| Robert Corbett (Albemarle/Roanoke) Email: Robert.Corbett@deq.nc.gov Phone: 252-381-6010 |
| Todd Mathes (Central/Southern) Email: Todd.Mathes@deq.nc.gov Phone: 252-948-3872 |