The bag limit for recreationally caught bluefish in North Carolina will increase beginning next year in the state’s coastal fishing waters and joint fishing waters.
On Jan. 1, the bag limit for recreational fishers catching from shore, pier or private vessel will increase to five bluefish per person, per day, and the for-hire limit will increase to seven fish per person, per day.
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The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries announced the upcoming changes in a release Thursday, noting that the bag limit increase “is a result of the higher recreational harvest limit.”
“A 2025 coastwide stock assessment for bluefish determined that overfishing is not occurring and the stock is not overfished,” the release states. “Although the stock has not yet fully rebuilt, it continues to get closer to the federal stock assessment target. The coastwide recreational harvest limit and commercial bluefish quota in 2026 and 2027 are higher based on the stock assessment results.”
Additional information is available in the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council meeting summary.
