The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission has moved forward with a draft rule that would establish a five-fish recreational bag limit for Atlantic Bonito. The decision was made during the Commission’s quarterly business meeting this week.
Under the proposed rule, the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries would have proclamation authority to set further regulations for both recreational and commercial Atlantic Bonito fisheries, pending prior approval from the Commission.
The Division will conduct a required fiscal analysis of the proposal before the Commission votes on issuing a Notice of Text at its May 2026 meeting. This vote would initiate the formal rulemaking process, which includes a 60-day public comment period scheduled for later in the year.
In addition to discussing Atlantic Bonito management, the Commission also began a state-mandated review and expiration process for existing rules as required by NCGS 150B-21.3A. The initial determination found all 335 current rules necessary. A public comment period on these rules and their status will be held from March 2 to May 1, 2026. More details will be provided in an upcoming news release.
Recordings and additional information about the meeting are available on the Marine Fisheries Commission meetings webpage.
The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is responsible for regulating and protecting North Carolina’s natural resources and environmental quality across air, land, water, and coastal environments (official website). The DEQ supports public education, environmental compliance, science-based stewardship efforts, and offers services such as permit issuance and enforcement of environmental laws (official website). Its central office is located at 217 West Jones Street in Raleigh (official website).
