Source: NCDENR, 9/10/20
The commercial flounder season opens soon, and the N.C. Division
of Marine Fisheries is reminding gill net fishermen that one of the conditions
for the Estuarine Gill Net Permit (EGNP) is to allow division staff to observe
gill net operations. In response to risks associated with COVID-19, observations will
occur at a safe distance from fishermen using division-owned
boats. Division staff will continue to contact fishermen to schedule
observations and approach fishermen on the water to observe trips.
Refusing to allow an observer to observe a gill net trip will result in revocation of the fisherman’s EGNP.
The EGNP is a critical step in meeting the requirements of the division’s sea turtle and Atlantic sturgeon Incidental Take Permits issued by NOAA Fisheries under Section 10 of the Endangered Species Act. It is required for anyone who sets an anchored gill net (large-mesh or small-mesh) in estuarine waters (commercially or recreationally). Fishermen convicted of using anchored gill nets in internal
coastal waters without holding an EGNP could be subject to a Class A1
misdemeanor. The EGNP is available for free from the Division of Marine
Fisheries. Fishermen can download an application here. Completed applications may be emailed
to License@ncdenr.gov or mailed to the Division of Marine Fisheries, License
Office, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City 28557. Fishermen also may submit completed applications in drop boxes
provided at the following division offices:
DMF
Headquarters
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City
Phone: 252-726-7021 or 800-682-2632
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Manteo
Field Office
1021 Driftwood Dr.
Manteo
Phone 252-473-5734 or 800-405-7774
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Pamlico
District Office
943 Washington Square Mall, Highway 17
Washington
Phone:
252-946-6481 or 800-338-7804
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Southern
District Office
127 Cardinal Drive Extension
Wilmington
Phone: 910-796-7215 or 800-248-4536
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The commercial southern flounder season opens Sept. 15 in the
Northern Management Area, which includes Albemarle, Roanoke, and Croatan sounds
and their tributaries and Oct. 1 in other estuarine waters of the state. for
specific information on the commercial flounder season in the Northern
Management Area, see Proclamation M-14-2020. For more information about observer coverage, contact the
Protected Resources Program supervisor Barbie Byrd at 252-808-8088 or Barbie.Byrd@ncdenr.gov.
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