NCDMF wants to see this weekend’s red snapper carcasses

Data obtained will help federal fisheries managers with next stock assessment

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is looking for a few good red snapper. Well, actually, just the carcasses will do. When the three-day recreational season on red snapper opens on Friday, Aug. 23, biologists will be collecting carcasses from sites along the entire coast to obtain data that will be used to better judge the status of the fishery.

Biologists will measure the carcass, determine the gender (if possible) and remove the otoliths (ear bones) to determine the age of the fish, supplying all the information to NOAA Fisheries for use in the upcoming stock assessment.

Fishermen are asked to clean their red snapper, leaving the head and tail intact on the carcass. Freezers will be stationed at the collection sites with instructions on how to deposit carcasses. There will be information cards to complete and pack with each carcass. The information requested will be basic information pertaining to how and when the fish was caught

Shirts and citations are being offered as rewards for donating a red snapper carcass and filling out the information card. NCDMF will have freezers at eight locations for fishermen to take their carcasses:

* Hurricane Fleet, Calabash;

* Ocean Isle Fishing Center, Ocean Isle Beach;

* Carolina Beach Fishing Center, Carolina Beach;

* Tex’s Tackle, Wilmington;

* Dudley’s Marina, Swansboro;

* Capt. Stacy Fishing Center, Atlantic Beach;

* Carolina Princess Fishing Center, Morehead City;

* Oden’s Dock, Hatteras.

For a map of these locations, go to: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/snapper/freezer-locations.