Anglers Land More Fish This Year in the Ocracoke Island Surf Fishing Tournament …WITH SLIDE SHOW

From CoastalReview.org A pilot study tracking a popular saltwater fish was not expected to yield as much information as it did in its first year. When the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries and its nonprofit project partner, the North Carolina Marine and Estuary Foundation, launched its red drum study last year, researchers thought the [...] Fishing |  Full Article

After a winter of various repairs and updates, the Rodanthe Fishing Pier will reopen for the 2025 season on Saturday, April 5, at 7:00 a.m. There have been multiple improvements at the Rodanthe Pier over the past few years, which includes a new ramp that was installed in 2020, and a number of structural repairs [...] Fishing |  Full Article

 On Friday, March 28, Captain Tim Hagerich of Black Pearl Charters had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with an estimated 1,800-pound great white shark just off the coast of northern Ocracoke Island. “I have spent thousands and thousands of hours in the ocean, and I have only seen one great white shark in my entire life, and [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Anglers who catch Bluefin Tuna and billfishes in North Carolina no longer need to report those catches to the state. As of Tuesday, April 1, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has discontinued its Highly Migratory Species Catch Card Program. Federal HMS Angling, HMS Charter/Headboat and Atlantic Tunas permit holders [...] Fishing |  Full Article

From CoastalReview.org A proposal to limit commercial fishers’ harvest of blue crabs treads rough waters after advisory committees to the state Marine Fisheries Commission agreed the rule should not move forward. The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries’ recommendation targets catch of mature female crabs. The proposed move comes as fisheries officials are looking to [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will accept public comment on draft Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 4 from April 1 to April 30. Draft Amendment 4 would expedite the sector allocation shift to 50/50 (commercial/recreational) by one year to 2025. In-person comments may be made at any of three advisory committee meetings scheduled in April: April 8, 6:00 p.m.   Southern Regional Advisory Committee Central District Office [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The OBX U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will offer a one-day boating safety class on Saturday, April 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center. Taught by certified U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary instructors, the class completes all required course material and exam in the same day and satisfies the state requirement [...] Fishing |  Full Article

By Glenn Skinner and Thomas Newman, N.C. Fisheries Association After two weeks of fisheries meetings and numerous comments from stakeholders, it’s clear that our current system of fisheries management leaves much to be desired. Since the General Assembly passed legislation in 2010 requiring overfishing to be ended in two years, or less, and sustainable harvest [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Changes to 18 Marine Fisheries Commission rules became effective on Monday, March 24, according to an announcement from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Among the changes, five of the rules pertain to data collection and harassment prevention for the conservation of marine and estuarine resources, and one rule aims to make administration of [...] Fishing |  Full Article