The Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan that was implemented in February 2012 was a compromise that didn’t initially meet all legal requirements, so a provision was added that automatically tightens commercial and recreational regulations in February 2014 — unless the FMP was changed. In the two years since, the winters have been mild, speckled trout have flourished and the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission is considering several options to amend the plan.
In 2012, the Commission instituted a 14-inch minimum size and a 4-fish daily creel limit for recreational fishermen, a 75-fish commercial trip limit and a prohibition on gill-netting in join waters on weekends. The automatic changes to take place in a month will leave recreational fishermen with a 3-fish daily creel limit and a Dec. 15-Jan. 31 closure, with a 25-fish trip limit on the commercial side. A provision allowed that if a cold-stun event occurred, the season could be closed through June 1.
February is rapidly approaching, and at it meeting last November, the Commission voted to send possible changes to the plan out for public comment, which the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will do through Jan. 18. Possible options for trout management include:
• Stay with the current regulations;
• Adopting the stricter regulations as outlined in the 2012 plan;
• Changing the regulations to increase the daily creel limit to six and keep the 14-inch size minimum, but allow only two fish per day longer than 24 inches, while eliminating the commercial trip limit but keep the weekend prohibition on commercial possession or sale except for licensed finfish dealers.
The proposals, aka Draft Supplement A, provide reasons for not implementing the stricter management measures required in the 2012 plan, plus background and reasoning behind the options. A copy can be found online at www.portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/fmps-under-development. For more information, contact Chip Collier (910-796-7291 or Chip.Collier@ncdenr.gov). He is also accepting public comment at 127 Cardinal Drive, Wilmington, 28405, or Chip.Collier@ncdenr.
