On May 25, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) will reopen some internal fishing waters to gill nets managed under the State’s Endangered Species Act Section 10 Incidental Take Permit (ITP).
The ITP authorizes a limited number of incidental takes of sea turtles and sturgeon in internal Coastal and Joint Fishing Waters for estuarine gill net fisheries except runaround/strike/drop and drift gill nets, which are exempted from this permit.
DMF will issue a proclamation later this week reopening the portion of eastern Management Unit B south of Avon (eastern Pamlico Sound) and Management Units D1, D2 and E (Core Sound to the South Carolina state line).
Fishermen planning to use non-exempted gill nets in these areas next week should begin reporting their planned fishing activity through the Observer Trip Scheduling System (OTSS) beginning today, Monday, May 18. Plans must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
Fishermen should report their plans to fish by calling the automated hotline at 833-487-8747 or online at https://dmf.ncdenr.org/OTSSPublic.
Management Unit A (Albemarle Sound), the northern and western portions of Management Unit B (Pamlico Sound) and Management Unit C (the Pamlico, Pungo, Bay and Neuse rivers) will remain closed to non-exempted gill net use to avoid further interactions with Atlantic Sturgeon.
Additional information about OTSS is available at http://www.deq.nc.gov/OTSS. Questions regarding OTSS or issues encountered while reporting plans to fish should be directed to the Observer Program at 252-515-5625. If reporting issues are encountered after business hours, fishermen should leave a voicemail before 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, and the call will be returned the following business day.