Marine Fisheries attempts to end overfishing of seatrout
The NC Marine Fisheries Commission chose preferred management measures for the NC Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1 in November. They merged recommendations from its advisory committees, along with public comment, with proposals from the Division of Marine Fisheries.
The options include the folllowing:
Recreational:
A 14- to 20-inch slot limit with an allowance for one fish over 26 inches.
A 3-fish bag limit.
Elimination of the captain and crew limit on for-hire trips.
Commercial:
A 14- to 22-inch slot limit.
A Saturday through Sunday closure January through September.
A Saturday through Monday closure October through December.
Formalizing the stop net fishery management in the fishery management plan.
Adaptive management:
Adopting the adaptive management framework, with the caveat that adaptive management measures must be brought to the Commission for review prior to implementation.
Cold stun management:
Extending the fishery closure by 15 days, to June 30, following a cold stun.
Adopting the cold stun adaptive management framework detailed in the plan.
These measures are estimated to end overfishing in both the recreational and commercial fisheries. The draft amendment will go for legislative review before returning to the Commission for final adoption in February.
— NC Marine Fisheries Commission news release.
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