The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries today announced the 2023 commercial estuarine flounder season opening dates by Southern Flounder Management Area and Gear Category.
Pound Net Management Areas
All pound net management areas will open with initial trip limits. Trip limits will be decreased during the season based on the amount of quota available.
| Pound Net Management Area | Opening Date | Opening Trip Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Northern (waters north of Pamlico Sound) | Fri., Sept. 15 | 1,000 pounds |
| Central (Pamlico Sound and its tributaries) | Sun., Oct. 1 | 2,000 pounds |
| Southern (waters from Core Sound to the South Carolina line) | Sun., Oct. 1 | 500 pounds |
Mobile Gear Management Areas
Mobile gears are all gears other than pound nets used to harvest southern flounder. Mobile gears are split into two Management Areas:
- Northern (waters south of the Virginia line to the Incidental Take Permit B-D boundary line)
- Southern (waters from the ITP B-D boundary line to the South Carolina line)
All mobile gears will open to harvest Tues., Oct. 3. Harvest of fish from gill nets will only be allowed Tuesday through Thursday each week until the management area closes. Use of gigs and all other gears will be allowed seven days a week.
The harvest period for each Flounder Management Area and Gear Category will close to maintain harvest within the landings sub-allocation when the allowable landings are approached. DMF will announce the closings by proclamation as necessary during the season.
The season opening dates are set annually to keep the fishery within the commercial quota approved by the Marine Fisheries Commission in the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3. The plan also specifies any overage to the commercial Total Allowable Catch (TAC) requires a pound for pound payback subtracted from the following year’s allowable harvest. The commercial quotas will be the same as last year, as no overages to the commercial TAC occurred in 2022.
For more information, see the Division of Marine Fisheries’ Southern Flounder Amendment 3 Information Page.