The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission wants to advance toward an even split between commercial and recreational southern flounder allocations this year instead of a 60/40, commercial-recreational allocation.
fisheries
Wilmington fisher establishes state record for white trevally
Thomas Woo of Wilmington caught the 19-pound, 3.2-ounce striped jack May 8 about 55 miles off Wrightsville Beach, establishing the state record.
Commission to consider flounder management plan options
Two draft Southern Flounder Management Plan amendments at different stages of the rulemaking process are to go before the Marine Fisheries Commission at its meeting May 21-23 in Beaufort.
Spotted seatrout season temporarily closed to recreational fishing
State wildlife officials say the temporary closure through June 30 was made to avoid confusion.
Newport man lands new state record vermilion snapper
Colby Shaw of Newport has broken a 15-year state record with his recent catch of a vermilion snapper.
Senate bill pushes for prohibiting, fining for balloon releases
After lobbying, letter writing, cajoling and presentations, “one-woman crusader” Debbie Swick of Southern Shores has seen her efforts to ban balloon releases become a bipartisan-supported senate bill.
Moratoriums threaten aquaculture, environment, say farmers
Shellfish farmers say their industry’s positive benefits have been proven elsewhere in the country, but holds on new state aquaculture leases and a moratorium that Topsail Island residents want could sink businesses.
Public hearing set for proposed Roanoke Sound shellfish lease
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has scheduled a public hearing in Dare County May 6 on a proposed shellfish lease in Roanoke Sound.
Public hearing scheduled for Hyde shellfish lease application
The public hearing for a shellfish lease application for more than 2 acres in Germantown Bay is set for April 29.
Agencies set to spread word on mandatory harvest reporting
Division of Marine Fisheries and Wildlife Resources Commission, the two agencies that manage state fisheries, are working to prepare recreational and commercial fishermen for the mandatory harvest reporting rules that are to go in effect Dec. 1.
Fishermen, scientists differ on whale mortality, wind energy
Opinions up and down the North Carolina coast differ on the reasons behind rising numbers of Atlantic whale deaths, but marine researchers say the science is clear.
Invasive bass species spreads to North Carolina coastal areas
Alabama bass, which are often mistaken for spotted or largemouth bass, are an invasive species to North Carolina that are now being found in the state’s coastal areas.
‘Working Lives’: Canning sea turtles, Marshallberg, NC, 1938
When the cannery that opened in Marshallberg, a little village in Down East Carteret County, in 1937 ran out of oysters, tomatoes or other crops to can, they turned to canning sea turtles, writes historian David Cecelski.
Commercial license, permit holders urged to renew early
Commercial fishers, seafood dealers, and for-hire captains can beat long lines by renewing their licenses and permits well before the June 30 deadline.
Tariffs not a long-term fix for shrimping industry: shrimpers
While U.S. shrimpers lauded the Trump administration’s tariffs on imported shrimp, their message to the government is to stop subsidizing foreign shrimp production.
Spotted seatrout harvest closure extended in state waters
Cold stuns, which can kill spotted seatrout, have prompted the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries to extend the harvest closure of the fish.
