Latest Proclamation Updates
03/25/24
Flounder - Commercial Fishing Operations -
Atlantic Ocean
This proclamation supersedes Proclamation FF-12-2024, dated February 14, 2024. It opens the Atlantic Ocean commercial flounder season at 12:01 A.M., April 1, 2024, and establishes a 20,000-pound offload limit for vessels employing trawls. Properly licensed vessel Captains can possess landing limits for other states, but it is unlawful to offload those fish in North Carolina. The fishery will close by proclamation once 80% of the annual North Carolina quota is reached, or at 6:00 P.M., September 15, 2024, whichever occurs first.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/FF-17-2024/open
03/25/24
Scup - Recreational - North of Cape Hatteras - Decreases Creel Limit
This proclamation supersedes Proclamation FF-20-2023, dated March 31, 2023. It decreases the creel limit for the recreational scup fishery effective at 12:01 A.M., April 1, 2024.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/FF-18-2024/open
SCUP - COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS -
ATLANTIC OCEAN- NORTH OF CAPE HATTERAS –
OPENING OF WINTER I PERIOD
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This proclamation supersedes Proclamation FF-37-2023, dated September 21, 2023. It sets the harvest period and limits for the commercial scup Winter I harvest period, north of Cape Hatteras. This commercial harvest period will close at 6:00 P.M., Tuesday, April 30, 2024, or once 80% of the quota is reached, whichever occurs first.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/ff-4-2024/open
03/07/24
2023-2024 OYSTER SEASON CLOSURE - BRUNSWICK COUNTY
This proclamation closes Brunswick County in Internal Coastal Waters to the harvest of oysters off public bottom in accordance with management measures adopted in Amendment 4 of the N.C. Oyster Fishery Management Plan. This closure is two weeks prior to closure of the remainder of the state.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/SF-2-2024/open
03/25/24
BLACK SEA BASS – Recreational FISHING OPERATIONS – ATLANTIC OCEAN – NORTH OF CAPE HATTERAS
This proclamation supersedes Proclamation FF-22-2023, dated April 11, 2023. It establishes the 2024 season dates, size, and creel limits for the recreational black sea bass fishery effective at 12:01 A.M., May 15, 2024. The fishery will have two harvest periods stated in Section I. The fishery will close at 11:59 P.M., December 31, 2024.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/FF-19-2024/open
03/06/24
BLACK SEA BASS – COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS – ATLANTIC OCEAN – NORTH OF CAPE HATTERAS
This proclamation supersedes Proclamation FF-3-2024, dated December 12, 2023. It increases the trip limit for pots, traps, and/or hook and line gear for Atlantic Ocean commercial black sea bass fishery north of Cape Hatteras at 12:01 A.M., Thursday March 7, 2024. The fishery will close by proclamation once 80% of the annual North Carolina quota has been reached or at 6:00 P.M., December 31, 2024, whichever occurs first.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/FF-16-2024/open
BLUEFISH – COMMERCIAL
IMPLEMENTS 800-POUND POSSESSION LIMIT
This proclamation supersedes proclamation FF-1-2024, dated December 6, 2023. It establishes an 800-pound possession limit for the commercial bluefish fishery. The fishery will close by proclamation once the commercial quota is projected to be reached or December 31, 2024, whichever occurs first.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/FF-13-2024/open
Bluefish limit Info for 2024
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Chris Batsavage
Special Assistant for Councils
NC Division of Marine Fisheries
NC Department of Environmental Quality
(252) 808-8009 (Office)
(252) 241-2995 (Mobile)
(252) 726-0254 (Fax)
3441 Arendell St.
P.O. Box 769
Morehead City, NC 28557
Hi All,
The coast wide commercial bluefish quota will decrease from 4.29 million pounds in 2023 to about 2.41 million pounds in 2024. North Carolina gets roughly 32% of the coast wide quota, which results in a state allocation of around 775,000 pounds. The NC commercial fishery landed over 1.5 million pounds so far this year, so quota management next year will be challenging, especially if bluefish availability in our waters is like this year. Other states with commercial bluefish fisheries will also have similar challenges managing their fisheries next year.
I reached out to some of you for input on how best to manage our allocation next year, which was very helpful. Based on that input, our low allocation, and how and when the fishery operates, we will start the year with no trip limit, but an 800-pound trip limit will be implemented in March or when NC’s commercial landings reach about 175,000 pounds, whichever occurs first. The goal is to give both the offshore winter fishery and the nearshore spring through fall fishery reasonable access to the fish and keep the season open year-round. However, we will likely have to reduce the trip limit further later in the year, depending on landings and quota transfers from other states. We received 265,000 pounds of quota transfers this year from a total of five states, but there will be less available quota to transfer in 2024 under the lower coast wide quota. We will continue to work with other state agencies to ensure that states in need of quota can get quota transfers that prevent closing their fisheries early.
Anyway, I wanted to update you on the plan to manage the commercial bluefish fishery in 2024 and the challenges we face managing a low allocation. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you would like more information. And please feel free to forward this information to others who might be interested.
Thanks,
Chris
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SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/ff-1-2024/open
2023-2024 OYSTER MECHANICAL HARVEST CLOSURE
This proclamation supersedes Proclamation SF-10-2023 dated December 12, 2023, and closes the commercial harvest of oysters by mechanical methods from public bottom in accordance with the N.C. Oyster Fishery Management Plan Amendment 4.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/sf-1-2024/open
GILL NET RESTRICTIONS - JOINT FISHING WATERS – MAINTAINS WEEKEND GILL NET RESTRICTIONS
This proclamation supersedes proclamation M-3-2014 dated February 3, 2014. It maintains weekend closures for gill nets in all Joint Fishing Waters with exceptions for portions of the Albemarle and Currituck sounds, in accordance with the N.C. Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/m-1-2024/open
COBIA - COMMERCIAL AND RECREATIONAL –
COASTAL AND JOINT FISHING WATERS
This proclamation supersedes proclamation FF-11-2023 dated December 21, 2023. This proclamation opens the commercial cobia fishery beginning at 12:01 A.M. on January 1, 2024. The season for the recreational harvest of cobia will re-open at 12:01 A.M. on May 1, 2024. This action is being taken to comply with Addendum 1 to Amendment 1 to the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Migratory Group Cobia.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/ff-9-2024/open
SNAPPER GROUPER COMPLEX – COMMERCIAL –
2024 SEASONS
This proclamation supersedes proclamation FF-62-2023, dated December 5, 2023. It establishes the 2024 commercial seasons and applicable commercial size and trip limits for snapper grouper species beginning January 1, 2024.
SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2024/ff-8-2024/open
SPOT – COMMERCIAL FISHING OPERATIONS – CLOSURE
This proclamation closes the commercial spot fishery in North Carolina Coastal and Joint Fishing Waters. The fishery will re-open on Friday, April 5, 2024. The intent of this proclamation is to allow North Carolina to comply with the requirements of the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Addendum III to the Omnibus Amendment to the Interstate Fishery Management Plans for Spanish Mackerel, Spot, and Spotted Seatrout.
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SEE PROCLAMATION FOR FULL DETAILS – LINKS PROVIDED BELOW
Proclamation:https://deq.nc.gov/fisheries-management-proclamations
PDF: https://www.deq.nc.gov/marine-fisheries/fisheries-management-proclamations/2023/FF-60-2023/open