The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission is expected to vote on adopting amendments to the mutilated finfish rule, as well as amendments to a marinas, mooring areas, and other docking facilities rule during its quarterly meeting Feb. 22-24 in New Bern. The three-day, in-person meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22; at 9 [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Federal regulators have announced commercial fishing for giant bluefin tuna in the Atlantic will close Wednesday night due to the amount of fish that have been caught in the first quarter of 2023. According to a post from NOAA Fisheries on Monday, based on the best available landings information, the adjusted 58.2-mt quota for the [...] Fishing |  Full Article

A recreational spring season for ocellated (Gulf and summer) flounder will not occur in 2023, as preliminary data from the 2022 recreational flounder season (Sept. 1-30, 2022) indicates that removals of southern flounder exceeded the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) by 25,000 pounds. The 2023 recreational quota and season must be adjusted based on the previous [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will meet in-person Feb. 22-24 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel New Bern Riverfront, 100 Middle St., New Bern. The meeting will also be livestreamed on YouTube. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, and at 9 a.m. on [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries recently certified a new state record for the Common Thresher, (Alopias vulpinus), breaking the previous record that was set near Oregon Inlet approximately 18 years ago. Steven Viltoft of Southport caught the 589-pound, 1-ounce shark near the Knuckle Buoy off Oak Island on Jan. 10, 2023. The previous state [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Commercial Resource Fund Committee and the Funding Committee for the N.C. Commercial Fishing Resource Fund will meet jointly by web conference on March 1 at 6 p.m. Members of the public may listen to the meeting by phone or listen and view presentations online. A meeting agenda and WebEx link [...] Fishing |  Full Article

When my husband John and I retired to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, something unexpected happened. I became hooked on surf fishing. Whether casting into crashing waves or calm waters, the anticipation of catching fish was addictive. I watched John for years, as he gathered his gear and headed to the beach; sometimes I’d [...] Fishing |  Full Article

Registration is open for North Carolina Sea Grant’s popular “Introductory Fisheries Science for NC Fishers” training. Scott Baker and Sara Mirabilio, fisheries specialists with over 45 years of combined experience, will bring together state experts in new online lessons designed for saltwater anglers and members of our state’s wild-capture and farm-raised seafood industry. “This informal [...] Fishing |  Full Article

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is partnering with the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort to offer a series of presentations on the history of four different fisheries in North Carolina. The presentations are part of the Division’s celebration of 200 Years of State Marine Fisheries Management and Conservation in North Carolina. David Bennett, the Curator of [...] Fishing |  Full Article