Beginning Dec. 1, 2024, North Carolina’s recreational anglers will be required to report all harvests of red drum, flounder, speckled trout, striped bass, and weakfish (a/k/a gray trout) to the Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF).
Anyone holding a commercial license and is engaged in a commercial fishing operation must also report all fish harvested to DMF, whether they sell those fish or not.
This new law, which DMF is calling a temporary rule, was passed on June 6, 2024 after being passed by the NC General Assembly in the fall of 2023.
These mandatory harvest reports apply to Coastal Waters, Joint Waters, and Inland Waters that are adjacent to Coastal and Joint Waters. DMF is currently establishing the process through which anglers will make their reports. The reporting system, which is estimated to cost $5 million, will be funded through an allocation to DMF.
The rules will be enforced by both the DMF’s Marine Patrol and the NCWRC’s Law Enforcement Division. The new rule will be phased in over the next three years.
Phase 1: Effective Dec. 1, 2024, will include verbal warnings for failure to report harvests
Phase 2: Starting Dec. 1, 2025, warning tickets will be issued for failure to report harvests
Phase3: Beginning Dec. 1, 2026, a $35 fine will be issued for failure to report harvests. These “infractions will also count towards suspension of fishing licenses and permits.”
For more information, click here.