The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is reminding fishers that new reporting requirements will go into effect one month from now.
Beginning Dec. 1, recreational fishers must report any flounder, red drum, striped bass, spotted seatrout, and weakfish to the division.
Supporter Spotlight
The new reporting requirement also mandates commercial fishermen report any finfish, shellfish, and crustacean they keep, but do not sell, through a seafood dealer.
These requirements apply to coastal fishing waters, joint fishing waters, and inland fishing waters adjacent to those waters.
The North Carolina General Assembly injected the additional reporting rules into law in 2023. The information collected will be used with existing data collection program to enhance fisheries management.
Harvests should be reported electronically through an online webform or a soon-to-be released iPhone app. An Android app is under development and expected to be released at a later date.
“Division of Marine Fisheries staff have been working diligently to prepare for implementation of this new requirement, developing electronic resources, distributing information, and speaking face-to-face with those impacted,” Kathy Rawls, the division’s director, said in a release.
Supporter Spotlight
Commercial fishermen will continue to report harvest they sell through a North Carolina Trip Ticket Program licensed seafood dealer.
Additional information is available on the division’s mandatory harvest reporting webpage.
North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Inland Fisheries Chief Corey Oakley said in a release that the agency supports the division’s mandatory harvest reporting efforts.
“Harvest reporting for the listed species is required in waters upstream of coastal fishing waters,” Oakley stated, referring to an interactive map that shows which waterways are included. “Reporting is required in waters as far inland as Chatham and Wake counties. This reporting should help fisheries managers better understand harvest rates among recreational and commercial fisherman for those required species.”
Enforcement of the new reporting rules is being phased in over three years. From Dec. 1 this year to Dec. 1, 2026, those who fail to report their harvest will be given a verbal warning. The next year, a warning ticket will be issued, and starting Dec. 1, 2027, the penalty for not reporting a harvest is an infraction with a $35 fine. Infractions can lead to having fishing licenses and permits suspended.
The division’s Marine Patrol and Wildlife Commission’s officers enforce the rules in their respective waters.
More information can be found on the Mandatory Harvest Reporting webpage.
