The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has released its annual Fishery Management Plan Update, providing the latest scientific information on state-managed coastal fish species. The update compiles annual reports for each species managed by state, federal, and interstate plans in which North Carolina participates.
Each section includes data through 2024, covering stock status, trends, research needs, and management strategies.
According to the report, the South Atlantic Southern Flounder stock remains overfished with overfishing still occurring. The review of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan (FMP) began in 2024 and is ongoing. The main focus is to increase recreational access while meeting rebuilding requirements under Amendment 3. A proposed Amendment 4 would accelerate a shift to equal allocation between recreational and commercial sectors by 2025 instead of 2026 and is scheduled for consideration by the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) in August 2025. At the same time, Amendment 5 is being developed to address long-term management approaches.
For Kingfishes, a comprehensive review of their FMP will begin in 2025. This review will include reevaluation of management triggers due to changes in survey methods that may affect their effectiveness as indicators.
Red Drum are managed under both state and interstate plans. A benchmark stock assessment completed by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in 2024 found that northern Red Drum stocks—including those in North Carolina—are not overfished and not subject to overfishing; however, some concerning trends have been identified. In response, ASMFC’s Sciaenid’s Management Board has started work on Addendum II to address these issues at the interstate level. The state-level plan review will incorporate any new measures adopted.
The Blue Crab FMP was amended in February 2020 after a stock assessment indicated an overfished population with ongoing overfishing as of 2018. Despite efforts under Amendment 3, available data show continued decline since its adoption. As a result, additional management changes are likely needed and will be considered by MFC later this year.
Amendment 1 to the Spotted Seatrout FMP was adopted by MFC in March 2025 with measures aimed at reducing harvests and ending overfishing. These include commercial day-of-week closures, new slot limits for recreational anglers, lower bag limits, and adaptive management strategies for cold stun events—such as extending harvest closures following significant cold weather impacts earlier this year.
In May 2025, amendments were also made for Eastern Oyster (Amendment 5) and Hard Clam (Amendment 3). These updates address only wild harvests; aquaculture issues are now handled separately through another program. Stock assessments remain incomplete due to limited data so population sizes are unknown at this time. Notable provisions include deep-water oyster recovery areas and phased elimination of mechanical harvesting methods for hard clams by 2028.
“Read this year’s Fishery Management Plan Update on the Division’s Fishery Management Plans webpage,” states the Division announcement.
