Information on Southern Flounder FMP Amendment 4
At its August 2024 quarterly business meeting, the Marine Fisheries Commission asked the DEQ Secretary "to modify the Annual FMP Review Schedule to amend the Southern Flounder FMP for the review of the plan to begin in 2024" with the intention of that amendment being to allow for more recreational access to the fishery while maintaining the rebuilding requirements of Amendment 3. The DEQ Secretary approved the request, and the Division of Marine Fisheries is currently developing the draft Amendment 4 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan.
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will hold an in-person workshop January 27 with the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Advisory Committee to review draft Amendment 4 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan.
At its August 2024 business meeting, the Marine Fisheries Commission passed a motion to begin review of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan in 2024 with the intent of allowing more recreational access while maintaining rebuilding requirements in Amendment 3 of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. To accomplish this, the only issue considered in Amendment 4 is moving the adopted sector allocation shift to 50/50 (commercial/recreational) in Amendment 3 up by one year to 2025.
This workshop is part of the fishery management plan process. The workshop consists of the fishery management plan advisory committee and division plan development team working together to discuss and refine the draft amendment provided by the division.
The advisory committee will assist the division by providing input for consideration to refine draft Amendment 4 of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. Workshop-style meetings allow scientists, managers, and stakeholders on the committee to address questions, comments, and concerns more effectively and in a less formal setting.
The meeting will be open to the public; however, there will not be an opportunity for public comment. The public is welcome to speak with advisory committee members and staff during breaks.
| Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Workshop January 27th @ 6:00p.m. |
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| DMF Central District Office 5285 Highway 70 West Morehead City, N.C. 28557 |
| Workshop Agenda |
| Draft Southern Flounder FMP Amendment 4 - Base Plan |
| Appendix 1: Increasing Recreational Access to Southern Flounder Through Sector Allocation Parity |
While Amendment 4 is being developed, management of Southern Flounder will continue under Amendment 3. For more information on Amendment 3 and the status of the Southern flounder fishery, please visit the Information on Southern Flounder FMP Amendment 3 webpage.