Looking for the latest scientific information on your favorite coastal fish? The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has released its annual Fishery Management Plan Update.
The Fishery Management Plan Update is a compilation of annual updates for each State, Federal and Interstate managed species for which North Carolina participates in development and adoption of the fishery management plan (FMP).
Each update contains information based on data through the previous calendar year, in this case, 2024, including: stock status; data trends; research needs; and management strategies.
Here are a few highlights from this year’s updates:
· Southern Flounder: The South Atlantic (North Carolina through the east coast of Florida) Southern Flounder stock is overfished, and overfishing is occurring based on the most recent stock assessment. The latest review of the Southern Flounder FMP began in 2024 and is ongoing. The primary focus of the review is to explore ways to increase recreational access while maintaining rebuilding requirements of Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder FMP. Amendment 4 to the Southern Flounder FMP, which would expedite a shift to 50/50 (recreational/commercial) sector allocation in 2025 instead of 2026, as prescribed in Amendment 3, is tentatively scheduled for adoption by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) in August 2025. Amendment 5 to the Southern Flounder FMP is being developed concurrently to provide long-term, comprehensive approaches for recreational and commercial management.
· Kingfishes: Review of the Kingfishes FMP begins in 2025 and will include a comprehensive review of available data. Management triggers will be reevaluated as changes to some surveys used to evaluate triggers may limit their suitability as triggers in the future.
· Red Drum: Red Drum in North Carolina are managed under Amendment 1 to the North Carolina Red Drum FMP and Amendment 2 to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Interstate FMP for Red Drum. A benchmark stock assessment was completed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in 2024. Results indicate the northern Red Drum stock (which includes North Carolina) is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, though concerning trends are developing. In response to stock assessment results, the ASMFC Sciaenid’s Management Board initiated development of Addendum II to Amendment 2 to the Interstate FMP for Red Drum. Review of the State Red Drum FMP is underway in 2025 and will incorporate any management changes adopted in the Interstate FMP.
· Blue Crab: Amendment 3 to the Blue Crab FMP was adopted in February 2020 to address the overfished status and end overfishing, indicated by the 2018 benchmark stock assessment. All available information suggests continued decline of the stock since adoption of Amendment 3, and management changes are likely necessary to meet rebuilding requirements. Management options have been developed and are tentatively scheduled to be considered by the MFC in November 2025. The next scheduled review of this plan will begin in 2026.
· Spotted Seatrout: Amendment 1 to the Spotted Seatrout FMP was adopted by the MFC in March 2025. The amendment contained provisions intended to reduce spotted seatrout harvest and end overfishing of the stock, including commercial day of week harvest closures, a recreational slot limit, a lower recreational bag limit and adaptive management. Amendment 1 also changed the adaptive management framework for cold stun events, extending the cold stun harvest closures through June 30. Following a significant spotted seatrout cold stun event that occurred in January 2025, the recreational and commercial spotted seatrout fisheries closed to harvest on Jan. 24, 2025, and reopened on July 1, 2025.
· Eastern Oyster and Hard Clam: Amendment 5 to the Eastern Oyster FMP and Amendment 3 to the Hard Clam FMP were adopted by the MFC in May 2025. Shellfish leases, aquaculture and franchise issues are now being addressed by the Shellfish Lease and Aquaculture Program; the amendments only address wild harvest. Additionally, stock assessments have not been completed for these species due to data limitations; therefore, population size and stock status are unknown. Amendment 5 to the Eastern Oyster FMP balances the value of oysters as a fishery resource and essential habitat by implementing deep-water oyster recovery areas (DORAs), cultch supported harvest and rotational harvest cultch sites. Amendment 3 to the Hard Clam FMP phases out the use of mechanical harvest methods by 2028. Both plans adopted a strategy to further explore options to estimate recreational shellfish participation and landings and to distribute Shellfish Sanitation and Recreational Water Quality health and safety information.
Read this year’s Fishery Management Plan Update on the Division’s Fishery Management Plans webpage.