Offshore fishing should be decent, but regulations on speckled trout and flounder are more restrictive in hopes of rebuilding stocks.
North Carolina’s saltwater species are trying to hold their own, but there’s some trouble in River City — especially the portions of rivers that run through inshore waters before emptying into the Atlantic Ocean.
Off-the-beach fish — bluefish, striped bass, dolphin, king mackerel, summer flounder and Spanish mackerel — are thriving for the most part, or stocks are remaining stable. However, it’s another story entirely for inshore fish such as southern flounder and speckled trout.
The major problems occur inside the line of demarcation where the ocean swells break at the mouths of inlets. Fish that live mostly on the landward side of that line, in sounds, creeks and rivers, generally are besieged by hook-and-line and commercial netting pressure. Some of them are temperature-sensitive as well, and cold weather has taken a toll on them for the past two winters.
The economy, too, has played a role in the pressure that’s being put on several inshore species. Netters have taken a heavy toll as good-paying jobs at the coast have become scarce — as they have everywhere else.
With shrinking populations of saltwater finfish, efficient gear has put even more pressure on a dwindling supply of fish that wholesalers and retailers will buy and consumers will pay to eat.
So here’s our annual lock at the saltwater fish that North Carolina fishermen usually catch.
Speckled Trout
Two consecutive years of winter cold-stun kills, plus pressure from gill netters during fall and winter months, have decimated spotted seatrout, which the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries now lists as “depleted” in coastal waters.
Cold-stun kills were so damaging this past winter that Dr. Louis Daniel, the director of NCDMF, was forced to close all fishing for specks, beginning Jan. 14.
“I sure wouldn’t expect a good season from Morehead City north,” said Beth Burns, a fisheries biologist with NCDMF. “In fact, I’d expect this spring to be terrible, probably as bad as 2003 (which followed another massive cold-stun event).
“What made this one so bad was this one started the week before Christmas, and it went through Martin Luther King Day.”
That’s seven weeks.
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission met Feb. 10-11 at Pine Knoll Shores to decide whether or not to re-open speckled fishing. Burns said NCDMF biologists recommended an extension of the closure through June 15 in order to protect remaining fish during the peak spawning months.
The Commission decided to keep closed recreational angling for specks until June 15 but allowed a 50-pound daily trip limit for netters.
In order to help stockpile trout, the NCDMF changed regulations for recreational anglers last fall, dropping the daily creel limit from 10 to six fish per angler, with only two longer than 24 inches allowed each day. However, the agency failed to curtail gill-netting of specks, still allowing seven-day-a-week net sets — but no possession of specks from midnight Friday to 12:01 a.m. Monday morning every weekend.
That regulation was further complicated by the fact that the legislature created a fishery management plan for specks that dictated a 57-percent harvest reduction until speck stocks were rebuilt. However, the Commission, under pressure from commercial netters, couldn’t swallow that regulation and forced NCDMF to come up with a measure that would reduce stocks 28 percent. It is asking for the NCDMF speckled trout management plan to be exempt from the provisions of the state’s requirements so it wouldn’t be in violation of that plan.
“If (DMF) doesn’t get an exemption, that would mean a 2-fish recreational bag limit and a 50-pound (trip) limit for (commercial fishermen),” Burns said. “Or, they could look at other options.”
Burns said she understands the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will soon propose to match NCDMF regulations for specks, flounder and red drum in the inland waters it manages. Most of the speckled trout cold-stun kills occurred in inland waters, but the agency’s catch regulations remained the same, even after NCDMF closed all fishing for specks.
Black Sea Bass
Sea bass are, oddly enough, managed differently in ocean waters, depending upon whether they live north or south of Cape Hatteras.
“South of Hatteras, they’re classified as overfished, while north of Hatteras, they’re not,” Burns said.
Anecdotal evidence indicates black sea bass are doing well north of Hatteras, but there are several unclear factors, so the species’ health is being re-evaluated, which means this group of fish is listed as “concern.”
Some of those concerns include a drop in commercial landings from an annual average of 251,145 pounds from 2000 to 2008 to 176,748 pounds in 2009.
Average recreational landings also dropped from a 2000 to 2008 average of 172,122 pounds to 145,210 pounds in 2009.
“The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission considers the southern stock of black sea bass a separate stock from northern sea bass,” Burns said. “They’re also found closer to shore and more easily targeted by recreational anglers.”
An NCDMF proclamation closed commercial fishing for black sea bass south of Cape Hatteras on Dec. 15, 2010. On Feb. 12, federal fisheries managers also closed recreational fishing for black sea bass south of Hatteras until June 1.
Bluefish
After the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries instituted creel limits on bluefish several years ago — after years of no catch limits — they’ve rebounded.
“The stock’s almost rebuilt; bluefish are doing very well,” Burns said. “The biomass has been rebuilding.”
There’s no minimum size for blues because many anglers like to use smaller blues as baitfish, particularly when live-baiting for king mackerel, but the recreational limit is 15 per day, with only five longer than 24 inches.
“There’s a big winter commercial gill-net fishery for blues, usually from November to January, but most of those are sold on the New York markets,” Burns said.
Even runs of “chopper” blues (10- to 15-pounders) for surf and pier anglers have occurred the past several years.
“Bluefishing is the best it’s been in a long time,” Burns said.
Striped Bass
Inland striped bass are zone-managed in North Carolina, depending upon the region.
The northernmost areas include the Albemarle Sound Management Area (ASMA) and Roanoke River Management Area (RRMA), while the Central/Southern Management area includes the Neuse, Tar-Pamlico and Cape Fear regions.
“The Albemarle Sound (stock) is in pretty good shape,” said biologist Charlton Godwin of NCDMF. “We did go through a couple of bad spawning years in 2003 and 2004, and that showed up as a decline in landings, but in 2009 and 2010, we had good (spawns). Since then, (fish numbers) have leveled off, although in 2010 we saw a juvenile abundance-index that was above average in the Weldon area.”
The latest stock assessment (2009) showed fishing mortality for stripers between ages four and six has declined steadily since 2004. Juvenile abundance indices continue to fluctuate around the average observed since the stocks were declared recovered in 1997. The age structure of the stock continues to expand, with an overall increase in abundance of age-9-plus fish in the population. Estimated abundance of age-4 to -6 striped bass in the stock also increased steadily until 1999, remained steady through 2003, declined slightly through 2006, and has risen steadily since. This decrease in abundance in the stock also has been reflected in overall landings. Landings peaked in 2005, declined through 2008, and increased slightly in 2009.
Godwin said the presence of Atlantic sturgeon may affect future commercial fishing pressure in the Albemarle Sound Management Area. The National Marine Fisheries Service is proposing to list sturgeon as an endangered species. If such a listing occurs and gill-netting is deemed to put too much pressure on sturgeons, even though they’re non-targeted species, the NMFS could end gill-netting in the area.
“It’s the same as the sea turtle problem was,” Godwin said.
The NCDMF has sent a letter to NMFS declaring that few sturgeon are caught in gill nets in the region. As a result, NCDMF said it would oppose declaring sturgeon as endangered species.
“But last year, the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission had a request by a gentleman who asked that only hook-and-line commercial fishing be allowed for stripers in the Albemarle and Central/Southern regions, and we are going to present an issue paper to do that in Albemarle Sound,” Goodwin said.
Commercial netting is allowed for two weeks in March in the Neuse River, and the total catch of 25,000 pounds is quota-managed. However, biologist Katie West of NCDMF said she believes the inability of stripers to go far enough upstream to spawn because of dams is the main reason stripers don’t reach larger sizes in the Neuse region.
Because of depressed stocks and the inability of rockfish to reach inland spawning grounds, striped bass fishing is catch-and-release only in the Cape Fear region. The keeper season was closed four years ago.
“The best description is concerned/unknown,” said West, who pointed out that NDCMF and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission annually stock striped bass fingerlings (five to eight inches) in the Cape Fear River because upstream dams prevent local stripers from reaching their traditional spawning grounds. No netting of stripers is permitted in the Cape Fear.
“We’re happy the (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) has supported creation of a rock passage at Lock and Dam No. 1,” she said, “and we also support removal of the Lock and Dams 2 and 3 and the one at Buckhorn.”
Ocean striper fishing, particularly the use of trawl nets, became a major concern during January and February when trawlers killed thousands of excess stripers and dumped them overboard in culling operations.
At its Feb.10-11 meetings, the Commission decided to keep open the trawl season until the commercial catch quota is met, regardless of potentially wasteful kills.
Gray Trout
Weakfish (gray trout) remain in trouble, and no one seems to know why.
“The stock status is depleted up and down the coast,” said biologist Lee Paramore of NCDMF, “and it’s not just a North Carolina issue, but a coastwide issue, even though weakfish (is) heavily regulated.”
Before 2010, recreational anglers could keep six gray trout, but the creel limit changed last year to a single fish.
“(The situation) is a little unique for weakfish, because usually we can regulate populations through fishing pressure, but it apparently is being caused by things other than fishing mortality,” Paramore said. “We’re looking at other factors, such as predators like striped bass and bluefish, along with the possibility of competition (from other species).”
Even without finding an answer to the weakfish drop, Paramore said he is hoping for a rebound in their numbers “because gray trout are highly cyclical.”
Dolphin
Dolphin have supplanted king mackerel as the No. 1 offshore fish in North Carolina.
“Dolphin are the most-popular targeted offshore fish in this state,” said biologist Randy Gregory of NCDMF. “When people go offshore these days, they’re almost always targeting dolphin rather than king mackerel.”
NCDMF lists dolphin as viable, based on its most recent landings data. In the last stock status report (2009), dolphin commercial landings were up almost 3.5 million pounds (610,932) over the 10-year average (253,713 pounds), but average recreational landings dropped from a 10-year average of 4,846,973 pounds to 3,864,309 pounds.
Summer Flounder
Summer flounder are mostly caught offshore, preferring saltier water than their southern inshore cousins.
“But the recreational fishery isn’t that cut and dried,” said fisheries biologist Chris Batsavage of NCDMF. “Summers tend to be caught commercially along the central and northeastern coasts, but they’re found statewide up and down the coast. As you head south, though, they tend to be caught more inside inlets.
“But the vast majority of commercially caught summer flounder tend to be caught in the ocean.”
The NCDMF lists summer flounder as recovering, Batsavage noted, “because fishing mortality has dropped substantially the last 10 years. The spawning-stock biomass also has increased nearly to target levels and age structures are better.”
Commercial landings account for the vast majority of summer flounder harvest, although netted fish dropped from a 10-year-average (2000 to 2009) of 3,469,871 pounds to 2,859,039 pounds in 2009. Meanwhile recreational landings are much lower than the 230,199 pounds for the 10-year average, falling to 86,314 pounds in 2009.
“In the past, with recreational flounder regulations, summer flounder were the limiting factor and we had to increase size limits to not go over quota,” Batsavage said. “But now, southern flounder are the limiting factor, and we’ve had to increase the minimum size limits and now we regulate them as one species.”
Reef Fish
Bottom-fishing in North Carolina is a complicated affair with federal regulations severely restricting or putting an end to some catches.
“Some of our regulations are in place to match federal rules, while others are in place due to overfishing,” said Chip Collier, an NCDMF biologist.
Here are some of the regulations in place now:
• Black sea bass, closed south of Hatteras since Feb. 12, re-opens June 1. North of Hatteras, black sea bass fishing is open year-round with 25 fish per day and individual sizes of at least 12½ inches minimum length.
• Vermillion snapper (beeliners) fishing is closed but re-opens April 1.
• Grouper season re-opens May 1 after a 4-month closure to protect spawning fish. Anglers will be allowed a 3-fish daily creel of red, scamp, rock hind, red hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin, yellowmouth or tiger grouper. However, that daily creel may include only one gag or black grouper.
• Recreational red snapper fishing remains closed, but anglers will be permitted three red porgy per person per day. Red porgy commercial fishing, closed since Jan. 1, re-opens May 1.“All other snappers allow 10 fish per day, just no red snappers,” Collier said.
• Greater amberjack regulations remain at one fish daily of at least 28 inches length.
• Anglers will be permitted 20 triggerfish, grunts or other porgies per day with no closed season.
• Speckled hind and Warsaw grouper regulations allow one fish per day, but no recreational possession of wreckfish is allowed.
“However, the speckled hind and Warsaw grouper regulations aren’t addressed by North Carolina regulations at the current time, but that could be changing soon to
match federal regulations where possession isn’t allowed,” Collier said. “You wouldn’t want to get caught with a speckled hind or Warsaw and be in violation of federal law.”
• Cubera snappers are limited to two per person with a 12-inch minimum-size limit.
Red Drum
Red drum have become a major success story, once pressure from commercial and recreational fishermen was alleviated several years ago.
Trip limits for non-targeted reds (fish caught in nets set for other species) cut back on commercial catches, and recreational anglers were relegated to one fish daily between 18 and 27 inches in length. Most recreational red drum caught today are released.
“Redfish are in good shape,” Paramore said. “Overfishing isn’t occurring and hasn’t for a long time, and everything’s looking good, even though commercial fishermen now can keep 10 incidentally-caught reds.”
The commercial cap is 250,000 pounds per year.
“(Netters) caught their entire cap pretty fast last year,” Paramore said, “but there’s a good balance (of harvests) between commercial and recreational anglers.”
Reds can be found in good numbers from the beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore all the way to the South Carolina border and are available to anglers almost the entire year.
King Mackerel
King mackerel stocks are listed as “concern,” but that’s because the Atlantic Ocean stock is counted in with the Gulf stock, which is slightly down.
Gregory said North Carolina king mackerel are in good shape, even though recreational landings have fallen off slightly.
“I think it may be economic concerns that are keeping a lot of people from fishing for kings,” Gregory said. “We’ve lost several king mackerel tournaments at the coast, and I think one reason may be the high cost of fuel.”
The average number of award citations (for kings weighing at least 30 pounds or longer than 45 inches) has dropped from 306 during 2000 to 2009 to 177 in 2009.
“I think that drop certainly could be affected by angler effort,” Gregory said.
Commercial landings of kings have dropped from a 10-year average of 968,809 pounds to 777,585 pounds in 2009.
“The South Atlantic king mackerel stock isn’t being overfished,” Gregory said. “It’s not certain overfishing is occurring, however, but if it is, it’s occurring at a low level.”
Spanish Mackerel
Spanish mackerel numbers also are good, Gregory said, and are likely to remain so in the foreseeable future.
But they are seeing more pressure from commercial fishermen, according to the NCDMF’s stock status report.
Average commercial landings were 570,676 pounds from 2000 to 2009 but almost doubled in 2009 to 961,811 pounds.
Southern Flounder
Southern flounder are those most-likely to be found in inside waters (inlets, sounds, marshes, creeks), but they are listed as depleted because of heavy fishing pressure, mostly by commercial netters.
“For now the stock status hasn’t changed for southern flounder, but the next annual stock assessment by National Marine Fisheries Service may change (the status) to viable,” Batsavage said. “They need to see if the fishing mortality of both commercial and recreational anglers has exceeded the level of sustainability.”
Batsavage said cutting back on harvests by both recreational and commercial fishermen may be what’s needed to rebuild the stock or at least turn it around.
On Feb. 11, the NCDMF increased the size limit to 15 inches for all recreationally-caught flounder and lowered the daily creel limit to six fish per day per angler.
“A lot of the commercial-harvest (reduction) already has been taken care of by the (netting changes) caused by the sea turtle regulations,” Batsavage said.
Commercial size limits remain at 14 inches minimum length.
Commercial landings of southern flounder still remain high, however, at 2,395,384 pounds during 2009 compared to 297,790 pounds for all recreational landings. Commercial netting of southern flounder remains open all year long, except for a Dec. 1-31 closure.
Be the first to comment