Source: NCDENR, 3/30/21 New recreational bag limits for spot and Atlantic croaker will take effect April 15, and commercial spot and Atlantic croaker seasons will close beginning in December.
The new recreational bag limit will be 50 fish per person per day for each
species. It will apply to fishing recreationally with hook-and-line and other
gears. The commercial fishery for spot will close from Dec. 10 through
Apr. 4, and the commercial Atlantic croaker season will close from Dec. 16
through Dec. 31. The regulations comply with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries
Commission spot and Atlantic croaker fishery management plans. The stock status
of both species is monitored by an adaptive management system, known as a
traffic light analysis, which uses stock indicators to track relative abundance
compared to a set of reference years. The latest traffic light analyses for both spot and Atlantic
croaker indicate a moderate level of concern. This requires the 50-fish bag
limit for the recreational fishery and a 1% reduction in commercial landings
from the 10-year average for each state from New Jersey to Florida that has
substantial spot and Atlantic croaker landings and does not already have
regulations in place.
These management measures will remain in effect for at least two years for spot
and at least three years for Atlantic croaker. Future traffic light analyses
for each species will determine what regulations are required after that. For more specific information on the recreational regulations for
spot and Atlantic croaker, see proclamations FF-23-2021 and FF-24-2021 at http://ncmarinefisheries.net/proclamations.
Proclamations for the commercial fishery season closures will be issued later
this year.
For questions, contact Chris Batsavage at
252-241-2995 or Chris.Batsavage@ncdenr.gov.
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