May 19, 2015 — North Carolina’s commercial fishing harvest increased by 23 percent in 2014, boosted by higher landings of blue crabs, spiny dogfish and summer flounder.
Commercial fishermen sold 61.7 million pounds of fish and shellfish to North Carolina dealers last year, according to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries’ Commercial Trip Ticket Program. It was the first year commercial landings rose since 2010, an upward tick in a long declining trend since the late 1990s.
The estimated dockside value of the commercial harvest climbed 19 percent in 2014 to $93.8 million, continuing an increasing trend since 2011.
Recreational fishermen harvested approximately 9.6 million fish weighing about 9 million pounds in 2014, a 25 percent decrease in pounds from 2013, according to the division’s Coastal Angling Program. It is 29 percent lower than the average of recreational landings from 2010 to 2013.
Read the full story at the Outer Banks Voice