Press Releases

The N.C. Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Steering Committee will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 6 at the N.C. Cooperative Extension - Craven County Center, 300 Industrial Dr. in New Bern.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission took action this week to end overfishing of estuarine striped bass and rebuild the stocks by adopting the Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will hold a public hearing on two marine fisheries proposed rules at 1 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Central District Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City. The hearing was originally scheduled for a Nov. 1 web conference but was cancelled due to technical difficulties.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Commercial Resource Fund Committee and the Funding Committee for the N.C. Commercial Fishing Resource Fund will meet jointly by web conference on Dec. 8 at 6 p.m.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in-person Nov. 16-18 at the Islander Hotel, 102 Islander Drive, in Emerald Isle. The meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube.

A public hearing for two marine fisheries proposed rules that was scheduled for last night did not occur due to a technical problem. The hearing will be rescheduled and announced at a later date.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries today announced that the fall 2022 recreational striped bass season in the Albemarle Sound Management Area will open Nov. 1 and close when the quota has been reached, or Dec. 31, 2022, whichever comes first.

North Carolina’s 2022 commercial flounder fishing season in internal waters is coming to an end. The commercial flounder season is closing because the total allowable landings of flounder from internal coastal waters is nearly caught.

The commercial flounder season will close at 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 21 in the Pound Net Central Management Area. Additionally, flounder pound net sets in this area must be rendered inoperable by 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 21 during the closed flounder season.

State recreational water quality officials today lifted a water quality swimming advisory at a sound-side site in Dare County.

The flounder trip limit will be reduced in the Pound Net Central Management Area on Oct. 15. Additionally, the commercial flounder season will reopen on Oct. 14 for gigs and hook-and-line in the Mobile Gear Northern Management Area.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is accepting applications for proposals for fishing access and education projects for the 2023-2024 funding cycle from the N.C. Marine Resources Fund.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission advisory committees will meet to receive an update on recent Marine Fisheries Commission activity and to review the 2023 Marine Fisheries Commission meeting schedule.

The precautionary advisory against swimming issued due to Hurricane Ian is now lifted for coastal waters, except for one sound-side and one ocean-side site in Dare County.

The commercial flounder season will close at 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 6 in the Pound Net Northern Management Area. Flounder pound net sets must be rendered inoperable by 6:00 p.m. on Oct. 7 in the management area during the closed flounder season.