September 2019
Stories in this newsletter
Focus on Southern Flounder
From the director's desk
In August the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission made the difficult decision to adopt Amendment 2 to the state’s Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan. The plan was developed by the Division of Marine Fisheries with the assistance of the Southern Flounder Advisory Committee. Amendment 2 contains strict requirements to significantly reduce harvest and discards of Southern flounder which are, and have been for some time, overfished with overfishing occurring.
Southern flounder
stock overview
In January 2019, the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries completed a stock assessment of the southern flounder stock to estimate population size and harvest rate. The stock assessment compiles available fisheries-independent (state surveys) and fisheries-dependent (commercial and recreational) information collected from throughout the range of the biological unit stock, which includes southern flounder occurring in the waters of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and the East Coast of Florida.
Amendment 2 developed to
end over fishing, rebuild stock
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries developed Amendment 2 to the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan to meet the statutory requirements to specify a time period not to exceed two years from the date of adoption of the amendment to end overfishing and a time period not to exceed 10 years from the date of adoption of the amendment for achieving a sustainable harvest.
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What’s next in North Carolina southern flounder management
Implementation of the management strategies adopted in Amendment 2 was deemed critical to successful rebuilding of the southern flounder stock. To ensure that harvest reductions are not delayed while more comprehensive strategies are developed for Amendment 3, management actions are needed for the 2019 calendar year.
Frequently Asked Questions about Southern Flounder
Southern flounder is an extremely popular fish in North Carolina for commercial and recreational fishermen. The Division of Marine Fisheries has heard from many fishermen with questions about the recently adopted management measures. Here are the answers those most frequently asked.