Marine Fisheries Commission advances proposal for sector allocation in Southern Flounder fishery
On Thursday, the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission today took a step towards adoption of draft Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 4 by approving the draft plan for public and advisory committee review. Draft Amendment 4 would move the already scheduled sector allocation shift to 50/50 (commercial/recreational) in Amendment 3 up by one year to 2025.
Amendment 3, adopted in 2022, prescribed a shift in quota allocation from 70/30 (commercial/recreational) to 60/40 in 2025 and 50/50 in 2026. However, following two years with short recreational flounder seasons and one year with no recreational flounder season, the Marine Fisheries Commission tasked the Division of Marine Fisheries with finding ways to allow more recreational access while maintaining stock rebuilding requirements in Amendment 3.
More long-term, comprehensive options for recreational access will be considered in Amendment 5, which is currently under development. A scoping period on Amendment 5 is open until March 31. More information is available at https://www.deq.nc.gov/information-southern-flounder-amendment-5. The public comment period and advisory committee meeting schedule for Amendment 4 will be announced.
In other business, the commission voted to:
- Adopt the Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan Amendment 1 with the following provisions:
- Recreational measures:
- A 14- to 20-inch slot limit with an allowance for one fish over 26 inches.
- A 3-fish bag limit.
- Commercial measures:
- A Saturday through Sunday closure January through September.
- A Saturday through Monday closure October through December.
- Formalizing the stop net fishery management in the fishery management plan.
- Recreational measures:
- Adaptive Management:
- Adopting the adaptive management framework, with the caveat that adaptive management measures must be brought to the Commission for review prior to implementation.
- Cold Stun Management:
- Extending the fishery closure by 15 days, to June 30, following a severe cold stun event.
- Adopting a cold stun adaptive management framework.
- Give final approval to amend and adopt 8 rules:
- 15A NCAC 03J .0301 – Simplify Pot Marking Requirements.
- 15A NCAC 03M .0523 – False Albacore Management.
- 15A NCAC 03O .0601-.0606 – Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact.
- Write a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce in support of Amendment 59 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery of the South Atlantic Region regarding Red Snapper.
- Select preferred management options for the draft Eastern Oyster Fishery Management Plan Amendment 5 and draft Hard Clam Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 to go for legislative review. The draft plans will return to the Commission for final adoption in May. Preferred management options include:
- Establishing Deep-Water Oyster Recovery Areas that would not open to the mechanical harvest of oysters.
- Linking mechanical oyster harvest management in Pamlico Sound to the Division’s extensive cultch planting effort, determining season length based on pre-season sampling of oyster resources.
- Implementing a rotational opening plan for mechanical oyster harvest on 10-acre cultch planting sites.
- Implementing a 3-year phase out of mechanical clam harvest from public bottom, including harvest associated with maintenance dredging
- Exploring options to estimate recreational shellfish participation and landings and to communicate necessary shellfish sanitation health and safety information.
