New sheepshead regulations kick in next month for North Carolina recreational and commercial fisheries.
Beginning Sunday, the bag limit for recreational fishers will be five sheepshead per person per day.
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The revised regulations for commercial fisheries include a limit of 1,500 pounds per operation per day, a limit of 10 fish per person per day or trip, including trips that occur over more than one calendar day, for gig and spear fishing, and a limit of 300 pounds per trip.
Both fisheries will have a size limit of 14 inches total length.
These changes are being implemented “because of increases in sheepshead harvest, particularly juvenile fish, in recent years,” according to a North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries release.
Under the new regulations, each fish should be measured from the tip of the snout to the longest part of the tail when pinched together.
These measurement changes align with regulations for black drum, according to the division.
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“Aligning the measurement point for the two species simplifies regulations for the public,” a division release states.
Additional information is available on the division’s Proactive Sheepshead Management webpage.
