The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will hold six meetings to receive public comments on a draft amendment to the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. The draft amendment includes proposals to increase the size limit, decrease the recreational bag limit, implement season closures and stiffen commercial gear restrictions.

The meetings will be held in conjunction with Marine Fisheries Commission advisory committee meetings set for:

Sept. 14 at 6 p.m.
Southeast Regional Advisory Committee
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Field Office

127 Cardinal Drive Extension, Wilmington


Sept. 27 at 11 a.m.
Finfish Advisory Committee
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Field Office

943 Washington Square Mall, Washington

Sept. 15 at 6 p.m.
Inland Regional Advisory Committee (Conference Call)
Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office

5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City

Call Randy Gregory for Conference Call Details

(252) 808-8078


Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m.
Northeast Regional Advisory Committee
Roanoke Island Festival Park, Small Auditorium

1 Festival Park, Manteo



Sept. 20 at 6 p.m.
Central Regional Advisory Committee
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Field Office

943 Washington Square Mall, Washington
Oct. 1 at 1 p.m.
Habitat and Water Quality Advisory Committee
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Field Office

943 Washington Square Mall, Washington




Comments may also be submitted in writing until 5 p.m. Oct. 8. Send written comments by mail to Chris Batsavage, N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City, N.C. 28557 or by e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The draft amendment is an update to the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan adopted by the Marine Fisheries Commission in 2005. That plan was developed after a 2004 southern flounder stock assessment found the stock was overfished and overfishing was occurring.

While the terms “overfished” and “overfishing” are similar, they have distinctly different meanings in fisheries management. “Overfished” refers to the actual condition of the stock when the population falls below an acceptable level. “Overfishing” means that fish are being removed from the fishery at a rate that the fishery cannot sustain or rebuild itself.

Under a new state law passed this summer, the Marine Fisheries Commission must end overfishing within two years of adopting a fishery management plan for an overfished species. Another state law, on the books since 2004, requires the commission to rebuild overfished fish stocks within 10 years of adoption of a plan.

The 2004 stock assessment called for a 30 percent overall harvest reduction to rebuild the southern flounder stock, but the commission adopted measures in 2005 that were projected to achieve only a 17.2 percent reduction, with the intent of reassessing the stock after three years.

A 2009 stock assessment found that while the southern flounder stock had improved since 2005, it is still overfished, and further harvest reductions of 20.5 percent are needed to end overfishing and achieve sustainable harvests within the legally required timeframes.

Both a Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Advisory Committee and the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries are recommending that the Marine Fisheries Commission make no changes to existing commercial fishing regulations on southern flounder because recently implemented management measures to protect sea turtles are projected to result in an overall commercial southern flounder harvest reduction of 22.2 percent.

For the recreational fishery, both the advisory committee and the Division of Marine Fisheries are recommending an increase in the minimum size limit to 15 inches and a decrease in the creel limit to six fish per day, which will result in an overall recreational harvest reduction of 20.2 percent.

The advisory committee will meet with division staff again, after all the meetings, to consider public comment received before making their final recommendations to the Marine Fisheries Commission in November. The commission will then tentatively approve the plan and send it to the secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture for review.

A copy of the draft amendment can be downloaded at the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries website at http://www.ncfisheries.net/fmps/down...icMeetings.pdf.

See this from Sport Fishermen.