Topics Related to Marine Fisheries

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will open a two-week, spring recreational Gulf Flounder season in ocean waters off the central and southeastern parts of coastal North Carolina.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries reminds commercial fishermen and the public that rotational harvest cultch sites in the Pamlico Sound remain open to mechanical oyster harvest, although the season has now closed in all other mechanical oyster harvest management areas.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Standard Commercial Fishing License Eligibility Board will meet at 10:30 a.m. on April 15 by teleconference. The board will consider license applications that are deemed complete and submitted by April 1.

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet Feb. 18-19 at the Hilton Garden Inn, 5353 N. Virginia Dare Trail, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949. The meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on YouTube.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will close all Coastal and Joint fishing waters in North Carolina to both commercial and recreational Spotted Seatrout harvest at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, due to widespread cold stun events.

Due to the forecasted winter storm, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has postponed the Lines of Communication meetings that were scheduled for next week in Winnabow, Morehead City, Hatteras, and Manteo.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries wants to remind the public to report any cold stunned spotted seatrout they may see in North Carolina coastal waters.

Sheepshead regulations will change for both recreational and commercial fisheries beginning March 1. The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries is implementing changes because of increases in sheepshead harvest, particularly juvenile fish, in recent years.

Itching to share your ideas on federal fisheries management? The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries encourages fishermen to attend one of four upcoming South Atlantic Fishery Management Council Lines of Communication meetings scheduled for North Carolina.

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will hold a public hearing on proposed shellfish leases in Onslow County at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. The hearing will be held in person at the Holly Ridge Community Center, 404 Sound Rd, Holly Ridge, NC 28445, and by web conference.