The 63rd annual Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament wrapped up this past weekend, and a boat based out of Oregon Inlet ended up landing the top spot, as well as the tournament’s largest cash prize for a first-place marlin in history.
The vessel WideSpread, with local Captain Jay Watson and a team of anglers from Raleigh, won the first-place prize of $1,678,250 for a 656.5-pound blue marlin that was reeled in by 19-year-old Cole Pirrung on Friday evening, June 18.
The other winners in the Blue Marlin Division for 2021 included the boat Natural, which landed a 521.6-pound marlin on Tuesday and a prize of $453,700, followed by Outnumbered, which reeled in a 512.4-marlin and a $301,800 cash prize.
The largest prize for a gamefish went to Fin Print, which landed a 48.3-pound dolphin on Thursday and took home $529,125 for their efforts.
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in person May 22-24 at the Beaufort Hotel, 2440 Lennoxville Road, Beaufort, N.C. 28516. The meeting will also be live-streamed on YouTube. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22; at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 23; and at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 24. [...]
Fishing | Full Article
From CoastalReview.org State fisheries officials are asking lawmakers for another year to roll out a new harvest reporting requirement for coastal recreational anglers and commercial fishermen. “This will allow us more time to get the word out to the fishing public about the new law and to help them understand the importance of compliance,” North [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in person May 22-24 at the Beaufort Hotel, 2440 Lennoxville Road, Beaufort, N.C. 28516. The meeting will also be live-streamed on YouTube. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22; at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 23; and at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 24. [...]
Fishing | Full Article
From CoastalReview.org State fisheries officials are asking lawmakers for another year to roll out a new harvest reporting requirement for coastal recreational anglers and commercial fishermen. “This will allow us more time to get the word out to the fishing public about the new law and to help them understand the importance of compliance,” North [...]
Fishing | Full Article
From Trista Talton at CoatsalReview.org Coastal recreational anglers are questioning the fairness and motive of a new law that will require them and commercial fishermen to report certain harvests to the state beginning late this year. Temporary rules for the law, which was tucked into a controversial bill the North Carolina General Assembly passed last [...]
Fishing | Full Article
From CoastalReview.org Coastal recreational and commercial fishermen will have to report certain fish harvests under a new North Carolina law that takes effect later this year. Preliminary details are scant as to how the two state agencies tasked with overseeing the reporting requirements will implement the program, one that is slated to be discussed during [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are accepting public comments on temporary rules to implement mandatory harvest reporting requirements passed by the N.C. General Assembly in Session Law 2023-137, Section 6. The comment period will close at 5 p.m. on May 20, 2024. Members of the public may submit comments in any [...]
Fishing | Full Article
Members of the National Park Service, Oregon Inlet Fishing Center LLC, the United States Coast Guard, and Marine Patrol met at the new Oregon Inlet Fishing Center building in Nags Head for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday morning, April 22. On the first floor, the nearly 10,000-square-foot building has retail space for fishing and boat [...]
Fishing | Full Article
A humpback whale was reported to partners in the NOAA Fisheries stranding network on the evening of Saturday, April 13, about 150 yards off the shoreline of Rodanthe. The next morning on Sunday, April 14, a local fisherman saw and reported the whale still alive and entangled in fishing gear off the coast of Rodanthe. On Tuesday, April [...]
Fishing | Full Article
The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is looking for commercial and recreational fishermen, scientists and other interested parties to sit on the Shellfish Fishery Management Plan Advisory Committee, specifically for Eastern oyster and hard clam. The committee will assist the division in developing Amendment 5 to the N.C. Oyster Fishery Management Plan and Amendment 3 to the [...]
Fishing | Full Article
Fishermen purchasing or renewing fishing licenses or vessel registrations at Division of Marine Fisheries offices can now use their credit cards for payment. The Division of Marine Fisheries’ license offices will accept VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express for in-person payments. The cardholder must present the card and a photo ID at the time of [...]
Fishing | Full Article
Eighty readopted marine fisheries rules became effective today, April 1, although these rules should have minimal impact on fishing practices. The rules pertain to standards for commercial shellfish sanitation and processing procedures, and most of the amendments simply codify existing practices or regulations already implemented via proclamation. The rules, 15A NCAC 18A .0301, .0305, .0401-.0418, [...]
Fishing | Full Article
Three advisory committees of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in April to discuss a proposal to protect Submerged Aquatic Vegetation through shrimp trawl area closures. The meetings will be held in person and livestreamed on YouTube. Public comment will be accepted in person during the meetings, which are scheduled for: Northern AC April [...]
Fishing | Full Article