Fishery Management Plans
The North Carolina Fisheries Reform Act of 1997 requires the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries prepare fishery management plans for adoption by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission for all commercially and recreationally significant species or fisheries that comprise state marine or estuarine resources. The goal of these plans is to ensure long-term viability of the fisheries.
The division currently has 13 state-managed fishery plans. In addition to stocks managed through state fishery management plans, the commission and division fully participate in the management of interjurisdictionally managed species where North Carolina has a vested interest. Interjurisdictional species are managed regionally due to either their migration across state boundaries and/or their occurrence in federal waters. Since the commission and division are the only authorities that can regulate North Carolina marine and estuarine fisheries, the North Carolina Fishery Management Plan for Interjurisdictional Fisheries was adopted by the commission. This plan adopts, by reference, federal and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission management plans as minimum standards. Through the state interjurisdictional plan, the division participates in and adopts management strategies for 21 additional federally-managed or Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission-managed fishery plans.
The annual North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries Fishery Management Plan Review provides information on plans and species of commercial or recreational significance to North Carolina. The information in the report is based on fisheries data available through the prior year. The Fishery Management Plan Review is an invaluable reference document and resource about the latest status of fisheries occurring in North Carolina.
The annual review includes the stock status for each species or species group to describe the current condition of the stock relative to overfishing or overfished status. Overfishing occurs when the current rate of removals (harvest and discards) is too high. Continued overfishing will lead to an overfished stock, a condition where the population size is too small. Populations that are too small are at risk of not being sustainable through natural reproduction. Not all declines in a population are due to fishing mortality. When other factors, such as excessive predation, environmental factors, or disease result in a low stock size, the stock will be classified as depleted.
If there is adequate data, stock assessments are the primary tools used to determine the status of stocks and develop appropriate management measures for the long-term viability. When an assessment concludes the stock is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring, fishery managers may find no changes to existing management strategies are needed or in a recovered stock may be able to relax prior regulations. If the stock is overfished or experiencing overfishing, fishery managers will consider actions to improve the condition of the stock. Stock condition is impacted by many physical and biological factors, not just fishing. Managers consider all available factors acting on a stock when considering the most appropriate management strategies.
State-Managed Species
Bay scallops are a short-lived species that are managed as an annual crop. They are sensitive to environmental change and may experience high levels of predation, which can impact annual abundance. As a result, a stock assessment is not an effective tool for management. The August 2020 Bay Scallop Fishery Management Plan update was approved as an information update to the Bay Scallop Fishery Management Plan. For more information, contact Jeff Dobbs at Jeffrey.Dobbs@deq.nc.gov.
| Bay Scallop 2020 FMP Information Update (Aug. 2020) | Bay Scallop FMP Amendment 2 (March 2015) |
| Bay Scallop FMP Amendment 2 Brochure (March 2013) | Bay Scallop FMP Amendment 1 (Nov. 2010) |
| Bay Scallop Original FMP (Nov. 2007) |
Results of the 2018 benchmark stock assessment indicate the blue crab stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. The Amendment 3 adaptive management framework will be used to immediately address the continued declining trends in the blue crab stock. The division plans to develop recommendations that would have resulted in higher harvest reductions with a greater probability of achieving sustainable harvest based on 2018 assessment results and apply them to the current fishery in lieu of an updated stock assessment. For more information, contact Robert Corbett at Robert.Corbett@deq.nc.gov or McLean Seward at Mclean.Seward@deq.nc.gov.
| Blue Crab FMP Amendment 3 2023 Revision (May 2023) | May 2020 Revision to Amendment 3 to the North Carolina Blue Crab FMP (May 2020) |
| Blue Crab FMP Amendment 3 summary pamphlet (April 2020) | Blue Crab FMP Amendment 3 (May 2020) |
| Stock Assessment of the North Carolina Blue Crab 1995-2016 (March 2018) | May 2016 Revision to Amendment 2 to the North Carolina Blue Crab FMP (May 2016) |
| Blue Crab FMP Amendment 2 (Nov. 2013) | Blue Crab FMP Amendment 1 (Dec. 2004) |
| Blue Crab Original FMP (Dec. 1998) |
A stock assessment has not been completed due to data limitations. However, management of oysters in North Carolina has focused on extensive habitat enhancement and protection measures. Commercial landings of wild oysters from public bottom have been variable, and landings of farmed oysters from private bottom in the past few years have surpassed wild harvest due to increasing aquaculture production. Amendment 4 to the Oyster Fishery Management Plan was approved in February 2017. Review of the fishery management plan began in November 2023. For more information, contact Joe Facendola at Joe.Facendola@deq.nc.gov.
| Oyster FMP Amendment 4 (Feb. 2017) | Oyster FMP Amendment 3 (April 2014) |
| Supplement A to Amendment 2 to the Oyster FMP (Nov. 2010) | Oyster FMP Amendment 2 (June 2008) |
| Oyster FMP Amendment 1 (Jan. 2003) | Oyster Original FMP (Aug. 2001) |
Estuarine Striped Bass Annual Update
Albemarle Sound/Roanoke River Management Area
Results from the 2022 stock assessment update indicate the Albemarle Sound-Roanoke River striped bass stock continues to be overfished and overfishing is still occurring. The assessment passed peer review and the model results were accepted for use in management. Amendment 2 to the North Carolina Estuarine Striped Bass FMP was approved in November 2022. Management sets Total Allowable Landings designed to limit fishing mortality and maintain spawning stock biomass at target levels. Stocking resumed in the Albemarle Sound in 2023 to supplement multiple consecutive years (2017–2023) of very low recruitment. For more information, contact Charlton Godwin at Charlton.Godwin@deq.nc.gov
Central/Southern Management Area
The Central Southern Management Area (CSMA) stocks include the Tar-Pamlico, Neuse, and Cape Fear rivers. A traditional stock assessment cannot be conducted due to limited data; therefore, stock status is unknown. Matrix model results indicate CSMA populations are depressed to an extent that sustainability is unlikely at any level of fishing mortality and a tagging model showed consistent decline in abundance estimates for striped bass in the Cape Fear River from 2012–2018. Based on genetic analysis, a high percentage of the fish in these systems are hatchery reared (stocked) with limited natural recruitment occurring. Amendment 2 to the Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan maintained a recreational and commercial no-possession limit and gill net restrictions in the CSMA implemented in Supplement A to Amendment 1 to provide continued stock protection. In 2025, data through 2024 from the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse rivers will be reviewed to determine if populations are self-sustaining and if sustainable harvest can be determined. The review will also allow for the assessment of the gill net prohibition. For more information, contact Todd Mathes at Todd.Mathes@deq.nc.gov.
A stock assessment cannot be conducted due to limited data; therefore, population size and the rate of removals from the population are unknown. Harvest fluctuates, often in response to changes in demand, improved harvesting methods, and increases in polluted shellfish area closures. Amendment 2 to the Hard Clam Fishery Management Plan was approved in February 2017. Review of the fishery management plan began in November 2023. For more information, contact Jeff Dobbs at Jeffrey.Dobbs@deq.nc.gov.
| Hard Clam FMP Amendment 2 (Feb. 2017) | Hard Clam FMP Amendment 1 (June 2008) |
| Hard Clam Original FMP (Aug. 2001) |
A stock assessment is not available due to lack of migration data, so an annual trend analysis with management triggers is used to monitor the stock. Due to impacts from Covid-19, a complete trend analysis was unavailable for 2020 and 2021. Although two or more management triggers were activated in 2022 and 2023, a review of the data used to inform triggers is planned prior to possible management action due to concerns that adjustments in sampling design were impacting abundance indices. For more information, contact Brooke Anderson at Brooke.Anderson@deq.nc.gov.
| Kingfishes 2020 FMP Information Update (Aug. 2020) | Kingfishes FMP Information Update (Dec. 2015) |
| Kingfishes (Sea Mullet) Original FMP (Dec. 2007) |
The regional benchmark stock assessment (North Carolina and all states north), conducted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission in 2017, indicated that overfishing is not occurring and that management targets continue to be met. The size of the fish stock (overfished status) could not be determined due to limited data available for the adult population. A new benchmark stock assessment is scheduled for completion in 2024. For more information, contact Cara Kowalchyk at Cara.Kowalchyk@deq.nc.gov.
| Red Drum FMP Update (Aug. 2017) | Red Drum FMP Amendment 1 (Nov. 2008) |
| Red Drum Original FMP (March 2001) |
An Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Atlantic coastwide stock assessment update for river herring was completed in August 2017, with data through 2015. The North Carolina portion of the assessment includes the Albemarle Sound blueback herring stock only. River herring in other parts of the state are currently listed as unknown due to the lack of data. The stock assessment update indicated the North Carolina Albemarle Sound stock was not experiencing overfishing but remains overfished. The factors leading to this status remain largely unchanged since the 2012 stock assessment. The spawning stock biomass remains at 12% of the amount necessary to replace itself in the complete absence of fishing. Results from a new ASMFC benchmark coastwide stock assessment are expected this summer. For more information, contact Holly White at Holly.White@deq.nc.gov
| River Herring 2022 FMP Information Update (August 2022) | River Herring FMP Amendment 2 (April 2015) |
| River Herring FMP Amendment 1 (Sep. 2007) | River Herring Original FMP (Feb. 2000) |
No stock assessment is currently available for management of sheepshead. Landings trends and other biological data prompted the Marine Fisheries Commission to implement harvest restrictions in June 2015. The division continues to monitor landings and collect data on the stock. In 2023, the recreational landings decreased compared to 2022, while the commercial landings increased. Commercial landings were above the 10-year average, and the recreational landings were below. For more information, contact Anne Markwith at Anne.Markwith@deq.nc.gov.
The stock is considered an annual crop that consists of three species of shrimp (brown, pink, white). Estimates of population size are not available but since shrimp are considered an annual crop and fished at near maximum levels, annual landings are a good indication of relative abundance. Amendment 2 was adopted in February 2022 and focuses on further reducing bycatch of non-target species and minimizing habitat impacts in the shrimp trawl fishery. The May 2024 Revision to Amendment 2 documents the MFC’s rational to conclude further action to address SAV protection under the Shrimp FMP Amendment 2 and to develop more comprehensive management options to protect SAV habitat from all activities under the authority of the MFC, consistent with the CHPP. For more information, contact Chris Stewart at Chris.Stewart@deq.nc.gov.
| Revision to Amendment 2 to the North Carolina Shrimp Fishery Management Plan (May 2024) | |
| Shrimp FMP Amendment 2 (April 2022) | Shrimp FMP Amendment 2 Flyer (April 2022) |
| Revision to Amendment 1 to the North Carolina Shrimp Fishery Management Plan (May 2021 ) | Revision to Amendment 1 to the North Carolina Shrimp Fishery Management Plan (May 2018 ) |
| Shrimp FMP Amendment 1 (March 2015) | Shrimp Original FMP (April 2006) |
Southern Flounder Annual Update
The 2019 stock assessment of southern flounder in the South Atlantic indicated that the stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. This assessment passed peer review and the model was accepted for management use. Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan was adopted in May 2022, maintaining reductions in total removals in North Carolina of 72%. In 2023, the recreational and commercial fisheries exceeded their total allowable catch, and paybacks were applied towards the 2024 seasons. For more information, contact Anne Markwith at Anne.Markwith@deq.nc.gov or Holly White at Holly.White@deq.nc.gov or see the Amendment 3 information page.
Spotted Seatrout Annual Update
The 2022 stock assessment indicated that the spotted seatrout stock in North Carolina and Virginia was not overfished but that overfishing was occurring in the terminal year (2019). Review of the fishery management plan began in November 2022. Management options will focus on ending overfishing and ensuring sustainable harvest. At their August 2024 business meeting, the MFC is scheduled to vote on sending Amendment 1 to the Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan for public comment and MFC Advisory Committee review. For more information, contact Lucas Pensinger at Lucas.Pensinger@deq.nc.gov or Melinda Lambert at Melinda.Lambert@deq.nc.gov.
| Spotted Seatrout Stock Assessment (October 2022) | Spotted Seatrout Stock Assessment (April 2015) |
| Supplement A to 2012 Spotted Seatrout FMP (March 2014) | Spotted Seatrout Original FMP (March 2012) |
The 2022 stock assessment of striped mullet in North Carolina indicated the stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. The assessment passed peer review and was accepted for management use. Amendment 2 to the Striped Mullet Fishery Management Plan was adopted in May of 2024 and implemented management measures to achieve sustainable harvest. Adopted management included day-of-week harvest closures for the commercial fishery, and a reduction in the individual bag limit and vessel limit for the recreational fishery. For more information contact Willow Patten at Willow.Patten@deq.nc.gov or Jeff Dobbs at Jeffrey.Dobbs@deq.nc.gov.
Interjurisdictional Species
In addition to the above state Fishery Management Plans, there is also a N.C. Fishery Management Plan for Interjurisdictional Fisheries. This plan is comprised of 21 species or species groups jointly managed by regional councils, NOAA Fisheries, and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. To reduce redundancy, federal plans for interjurisdictional fisheries are adopted by reference unless the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission decides to implement more restrictive or complementary management measures. An information update to the plan was adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission in May 2022.
| Interjurisdictional FMP Information Update (June 2022) | Interjurisdictional FMP Information Update (Nov. 2015) |
| Interjurisdictional FMP Amendment (June 2008) | Interjurisdictional Original FMP (Sept. 2002) |
See American Shad
