North Carolina will remain open for flounder fishing this
fall
MOREHEAD
CITY – North Carolina will remain open for
flounder fishing this fall.
The
state will not close flounder season on Oct. 16 for the recreational
hook-and-line and gig fisheries, as was planned. The recreational flounder
season will remain open with the current 15-inch minimum size limit and
six-fish bag limit.
Flounder
season will remain open for the anchored, large-mesh gill net fisheries, as
well. However, there will still be a Dec. 1-31 commercial flounder
season closure, as in previous years.
The
changes are due to a recent court order whereby a judge issued a temporary
injunction against these and other regulations adopted by the Marine Fisheries
Commission. The commission adopted the changes in November 2015 as part of a
supplement to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan.
The
temporary injunction will remain in effect until a full hearing on a lawsuit
filed by the North Carolina Fisheries Association against the state and the
commission. No court date has been set for this hearing.
The
judge also struck down a pound net quota and closure established under the
flounder plan supplement.
Other
provisions of the flounder plan supplement remain in place, including:
· A
15-inch minimum size limit for the commercial fisheries.
· A
6-inch minimum mesh size for anchored large-mesh gill nets.
· A 5
¾-inch escape panel for flounder pound nets.
Patricia Smith
Public Information Officer
N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
3441 Arendell St.
Morehead City, N.C. 28557
(252) 808-8025 (Office)
(252) 342-0642 (Mobile)
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