Information on Southern Flounder Amendment 5
The Division of Marine Fisheries is seeking public input as it develops Amendment 5 to the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. A public scoping period will be held from March 1 through March 31, providing stakeholders an opportunity to share feedback on potential management strategies and priorities for the amendment. The scoping period will include four scoping meetings.
While there will be many other opportunities for the public to provide comments on Amendment 5 as it is developed, scoping is the best opportunity for stakeholders to help shape the plan.
The primary purpose of Amendment 5 is to address an August 2024, Marine Fisheries Commission motion to amend the Southern Flounder FMP to allow for more recreational access while maintaining the rebuilding requirements of Amendment 3. Amendment 5 and Amendment 4 (in progress) are being developed concurrently to provide long-term, comprehensive approaches to recreational and commercial Southern Flounder management.
To see the potential issues and management strategies to be addressed, please see the Amendment 5 Scoping Document and view the presentation below.