The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission increased this year’s flounder allocation for the recreational fishery at its business meeting this week, adopting Amendment 4 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan.
Amendment 4 expedites a 50/50 quota allocation shift between the commercial and recreational fisheries so that it occurs in 2025 rather than 2026, as prescribed in Amendment 3. This would result in a 25% increase in recreational total allowable landings compared to the 60/40 allocation by shifting an additional 53,000 pounds from the commercial sector to the recreational sector allocation in 2025.
The additional recreational quota will not increase the length of the 2025 recreational season, scheduled for Sept. 1-14. Rather, it will reduce the risk of recreational catch overages in the fishery this year, which would be subtracted from the next year’s quota.
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries is currently exploring more comprehensive management measures through the development of Amendment 5 to the Southern Flounder Plan. The Commission discussed several measures it would like to be considered, including decoupling Southern Flounder management from Gulf Flounder and Summer Flounder management and allocating quota equitably between commercial gears and management areas.
Additionally, the Division of Marine Fisheries staff presented an analysis of the Striped Bass harvest closure and gill net closure above the ferry lines in the Neuse and Tar/Pamlico rivers within the Central/Southern Management Area. The data show that the closures have not resulted in increased striped bass abundance in these rivers despite continued stocking efforts.
Based on the adaptive management in place under Amendment 2 to the Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan, the Division will develop harvest management measures that allow access to, and protection for, the resource. The harvest management strategy will focus harvest on stocked fish in the Neuse and Tar/Pamlico rivers but limit harvest of Albemarle-Roanoke Striped Bass that occasionally occur in these rivers.
Per Amendment 2, the prohibition of gill nets above the ferry lines through 2024 sunsets. Gill net restrictions will revert to those in place prior to the prohibition, including tie-down and distance-from-shore requirements. The Division of Marine Fisheries will present a harvest management plan to the Commission in November that allows access to stocked fish in these rivers but also protects enough mature fish to spawn should there be favorable environmental conditions.
The Division will hold a public meeting on the Striped Bass harvest management plan prior to the November meeting. Details of the public meeting will be announced at a later date.
The Commission also received a presentation on current trends in the state’s Sheepshead fishery, emphasizing concerns related to increased fishing pressure. The Division highlighted potential next steps that include exploring management changes, beginning with a series of public meetings to gather stakeholder input this fall.
In other business, the commission voted to:
- Ask the Division of Marine Fisheries to draft proposed rule language for a 5-fish per person recreational bag limit for Atlantic Bonito for the commission to consider at its November quarterly business meeting.
- Set the annual cap on the number of commercial fishing licenses available in the Eligibility Pool at 500.
- Draft a letter to the General Assembly highlighting the importance of financial resources to the Department of Environmental Quality and Division of Marine Fisheries to ensure the long-term viability of North Carolina’s marine fisheries resources, including the importance of long-term sampling programs.
- Elect Commissioner Sarah Gardner as vice chair.
A video recording of the meeting can be found on the Marine Fisheries Commission Meetings webpage.