MFC Meets This Week in Raleigh
The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) meets this week in Raleigh for their quarterly business meeting. The meeting schedule is different than normal.
Please make note that the meeting will start at 1:00 pm Wednesday.
In-person public comment sessions will be Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm and Thursday morning at 9:00 am.
The written public comment deadline is today (Monday, August 18th 4:00pm). Written comments may be submitted through the online form or dropped off at DMF Headquarters.
Meeting Days:
Wednesday, August 20th 1:00 pm
Thursday, August 21st 9:00 am
Meeting Location:
Hilton Raleigh North Hills
3415 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, NC 27609
Drop Off Public Comments At:
Division of Marine Fisheries’ Morehead City Headquarters Office
3441 Arendell Street
Morehead City, NC 28557
Topics of Interest
Wednesday, August 20th 1:00 pm
Blue Crab Adaptive Management Update – Blue Crab Decision Document
From what I see, there is no new information in the blue crab decision document.
The DMF recommendation is still highlighted as:
“8 a. 10-bushel mature females June–Dec , no mature females Jan–May*”
There has not been any additional management options provided in the documents for the MFC to consider as well. The vote on adoption of adaptive management measures is scheduled for the November MFC meeting. Hopefully more information will be made available at this meeting.
Blue crab fishery management plan review is scheduled for 2026.
6:00 pm – In-person Public Comment
Thursday, August 21st 9:00 am
9:00 am – In-person Public Comment
Atlantic Bonito Information Update – Atlantic Bonito Memo
At the request of some MFC Commissioners, the DMF has put together a 5 page document looking at recreational and commercial harvest of Atlantic bonito since 2011. Recreational landings averaged 116,000 pounds and commercial landings averaged under 13,000 pounds. The document also says most bonito harvested recreationally in 2020-2024 were smaller than length at sexual maturity.
If the MFC carries this forward looking to reduce harvest of Atlantic bonito it will have no biological basis. The MFC schedule for bonito management shows “Select Preferred Options” at the February 2026 meeting and “Notice of Text” at the May 2026 meeting.
We could be 3 meeting cycles away from Atlantic Bonito management.
FMP (Fisheries Management Plan) Annual Review – FMP Annual Review
Kingfishes (Sea mullet) – review of the FMP is scheduled to begin this year. Management triggers have been activated the last two years, but these triggers were in relation to the SEAMAP- SA Coastal Trawl Survey which has recently undergone survey changes which likely changed kingfish abundance estimates. The management triggers will be reevaluated during the FMP review.
Red Drum – management changes to shrink the current slot limit are currently being considered at the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC). Red drum is not overfished and overfishing is not occurring but “concerning trends are developing”. These “trends” are driving the management decision to reduce harvest.
ASMFC adoption of any new management plan changes is tentatively scheduled for October 2025 and any changes to our State Red Drum FMP must consider compliance requirements of the ASMFC plan.
Striped Mullet – “while commercial landings increased in 2024, fishery-independent indices also increased suggesting increased landings are related to increased stock abundance. Adaptive management action is not recommended at this time, but stock and fishery trends will continue to be monitored. The next scheduled review of the plan will begin in 2029.”
Eastern Oyster – please note the changes to trigger sampling for wild oyster harvest which include:
1) transitioning from a dredge to hydraulic patent tongs for sampling,
2) conducting a pre-season survey to set a fixed season length and reduce uncertainty, 3) conducting a mid season survey to re-examine season length, and
4) communicating with participants to ascertain coordinates for the aforementioned trigger sampling surveys.
Characterization of North Carolina’s Sheepshead Fisheries – no documents provided.
Characterization of North Carolina’s Black Drum Fisheries – no documents provided.
Southern Flounder – final vote to expedite 50/50 allocation in 2025 (one year early)
Commission input on management issues and topics to include in the draft Southern Flounder FMP Amendment 5.
Central/Southern Management Area (CSMA) Striped Bass Data Analysis –
CSMA Striped Bass Data Analysis
CSMA Striped Bass Decision Document
DMF has analyzed the data from 2019-2024 and has concluded that environmental factors and declines in the Albemarle-Roanoke (AR) stock have contributed to the reduced striped bass abundance in the CSMA stock. In fact, since 2019 nearly 100% of the striped bass in the CSMA are estimated to be hatchery reared stock.
Since there is a harvest moratorium in the AR, the DMF and WRC are developing a plan to shift harvest away from wild fish in the AR and have proposed a recreational harvest season in the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse Rivers April 1-30 with a daily bag limit of one fish per person 18”-22” with an allowance for one fish >27”.
DMF data also says the 2019 prohibition of gill nets above the ferry lines was:
“ineffective at promoting natural recruitment, increasing adult abundance, or expanding the age structure and increasing the number of older, larger (age-10+) striped bass through year six of implementation.”
No action is scheduled for CSMA management at this meeting, but Adaptive Management in this plan allows managers to adjust management (including gear and area restrictions) based on new information or data.
DMF presents initial CSMA harvest management plan to MFC at the November 2025 meeting.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please reach out.
Thomas Newman
Fisheries Liaison
