Source: NCDEQ, `12/13/21
During the closure period, pots of any type must be removed from
Internal Coastal Fishing Waters (excluding ocean waters) and possession of blue
crabs regardless of harvest gear type is prohibited from all Coastal Fishing
Waters (ocean and internal coastal waters). Pots are allowed in ocean waters
for other targeted species, such as black sea bass. The 2018 North Carolina blue crab stock assessment results
indicated the stock is overfished and experiencing overfishing. North Carolina
law mandates measures are taken to achieve sustainable harvest within 10 years
and to end overfishing within two years. In order to reduce harvest to a
sustainable level, the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 was
adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission at its February 2020 business
meeting. Management measures in Amendment 3 included the annual harvest closure. The Director
of the Division of Marine Fisheries implemented the new measures through Proclamation M-01-2021. Proclamations are available on the division’s website. Information on
Amendment 3 can be found on the Fishery Management Plan website.
For more information, contact division biologist(s) Daniel Zapf at
252-946-6481 or Janelle Johnson at
252-381-6007.
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