July 7, 2025 –North Carolina lawmakers kept a ban on shrimp trawling from advancing in the General Assembly.
What’s happening?
The House of Representatives on June 25 declined to hear Bill 442, which would have prohibited the practice within a half-mile of the coast, the Island Free Press reported. The legislation had passed the Senate but was derided by shrimpers and the fishing industry.
Commercial anglers said 75% of their shrimp is harvested in the area that would have become off-limits, WUNC noted. In 2023, the state issued 270 licenses to shrimpers, who caught 6.5 million pounds of the crustaceans. The haul was valued at $14.1 million.
Bill 442 would have lengthened the southern flounder and red snapper seasons, but an amendment added the ban, making it untenable for those who make their living in the field.