MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. – The commercial flounder season is closing for mobile gears in internal coastal waters statewide. Additionally, a flounder trip limit is established for the Pound Net Northern Management Area.
The mobile gear season is closing statewide because the quota is nearly caught in both management areas. Mobile gears is defined as all commercial gears except pound nets and includes gill nets and gigs.
The commercial flounder season for mobile gears in the Southern Management Area closes at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21. The Southern Management Area encompasses the lower portion of Core Sound and waters south to the South Carolina state line.
The commercial flounder season for mobile gears in the Northern Management Area closes at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22. The Northern Management Area includes the upper portion of Core Sound and waters north to the Virginia State line.
The Division of Marine Fisheries will evaluate landings once all daily dealer reports are submitted. If the division determines quota is available for additional harvest days further proclamations will be issued.
Also, beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, pound net harvest in the Pound Net Northern Management Area is limited to 1,000 pounds per day. The Pound Net Northern Management Area includes Albemarle, Currituck, Roanoke, and Croatan sounds and their tributaries. The trip limit is needed to ensure this fishery does not exceed its harvest quota.
The commercial flounder seasons for pound nets in the Central Management Area and in the Southern Management Area do not open until Oct. 1.
For more specifics on the commercial flounder season for internal coastal waters, see Proclamation FF-46-2022 and Proclamation M-20-2022, and Proclamation M-21-2022.
The recreational flounder season will close as scheduled at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30. For more specifics on the recreational flounder season, see Proclamation FF-44-2022.
North Carolina’s southern flounder fisheries are managed under the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3. For more information on the management measures, see the Southern Flounder Information Page under Hot Topics.
