50/50
Quota Reallocation
or
Odds Recreational Fishermen Will Get A Season
The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission (MFC) voted last week 6-3 to reallocate quota from commercial to recreational to symbolize an “increase recreational access to Southern Flounder”.
For more than four years, the CCA has been trying to convince recreational anglers that splitting the Southern Flounder quota 50/50 will allow for a longer recreational harvest season and ensure a season each year, but will it really?
At the 50/50 allocation split, the Total Allowed Landings (TAL), or harvest, would be just 266,176 pounds and the Total Allowed Catch (TAC) would be 274,017 pounds for each sector.
While this does represent an increase for the recreational sector, is it enough to do any good?
In 2022, the recreational sector had a 4-week harvest season and 1 flounder bag limit which resulted in an estimated 226,995 pounds of total removals.
In 2023, the recreational season was cut in half, to just 2 weeks, and the 1 flounder daily bag limit was maintained, yet the total removals increased to 241,609 pounds.
That’s right, with the same bag limit and half the fishing days total removals increased by 14,614 pounds.
Admittedly, if the 50/50 split was in place, we would have been under the TAC in both 2022 and 2023, which would have allowed for a season in 2024, but neither the season length nor bag limit could have been increased.
Again, despite a shorter season and 1 fish limit, recreational removals increased in 2023 and will continue to do so as there are more and more flounder in the water. In 2023 removals were only 32,408 pounds short of the 50/50 TAC, of 274,017 pounds, meaning just a slight increase in catch could once again, result in overages.
That’s assuming the recreational TAC will be 274,017 pounds in 2025, but we already know it won’t!
DMF is going to deduct the harvest from the WRC season and dead discards in 2024 from the 2025 TAC before setting a season.
With an estimated 59,000 pounds (49,000 dead discards and 10,000 harvest) being deducted from the 2025 TAC, you’re left with approximately 215,000 pounds of total removals, which is 26,500 pounds below the total recreational removals in 2023!
Can DMF even allow a 2-week season, at the 50\50 split, in 2025 without risking significant overages?
The truth is, a 50/50 split will not increase recreational access in the Southern Flounder fishery, except for on paper, unless you’re a catch and release angler.
So why is the CCA so hell bent on convincing you that 50/50 is your salvation?
For the answer, you only have to look at the May 15, 2025, CCA-NC, Tidelines Newsletter.
The CCA points out a couple of times that the increase in recreational allocation comes from the commercial mobile gear allocation, meaning large mesh gillnets could only be set one or two days, if at all.
Get the picture?
It’s all right there in black and white, the CCA is robbing you of access just to make sure large mesh gillnets aren’t used for just a few days out of the year.
For years, the CCA has sold you a bill of goods, claiming that removing large mesh gillnets would result in more fish for you.
Large mesh gillnets were once allowed year-round, night or day; then, the amount of gear was limited, where and when they could be used was regulated. The nets were modified, made shorter, corks removed, tie downs required, etc., until now they can only be used for a few days annually.
What have anglers gained?
Absolutely nothing!
Seasons are shorter, size limits larger, and bag limits have decreased, when harvest is even allowed!
You’ve been misled, duped, hoodwinked, snookered, bamboozled, and led down the primrose path!
Are you going to let them do it again?
1 Red Drum between 18-27 inches,
1 Weakfish,
3 Speckled Trout between 14-20 inches,
no Striped Bass,
and 1 flounder just a couple of days per year!
When is enough, enough?
When no one can harvest fish it’s too late, 50% of nothing is nothing.
House Bill 442 guarantees a minimum 6 week recreational season. If we can get this legislation passed, it will be a great start of letting people enjoy harvesting fish again and the beginning of the end of sacrificing your fish to support the CCA agenda.
Keep letting your representatives know you support HB 442!
“Restoring The Right to Fish”!!!
Glenn Skinner
Executive Director
