XI. Other Porgies
The Porgies Complex includes jolthead porgy, knobbed porgy, whitebone porgy, saucereye porgy, and scup. These species are included in the twenty (20) fish in the aggregate per person per day recreational bag and possession limit in XVI.C.
XII. Golden Tilefish
It is unlawful to possess golden tilefish taken from waters under the jurisdiction of North Carolina or the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The golden tilefish recreational season will re-open January 1, 2020.
XIII. Blueline Tilefish
It is unlawful to possess blueline tilefish except from May 1 through August 31 each year, subject to the bag limits in XVI.B.
XIV. Gray Triggerfish
A. It is unlawful to possess gray triggerfish less than 12 inches fork length.
B. The gray triggerfish recreational season opened January 1, 2019 and is subject to the bag limits in XVI.C.
XV. Wreckfish
A. It is unlawful to possess more than one wreckfish per vessel per day.
B. It is unlawful to possess wreckfish except from July 1 through August 31 of each year.
XVI. Combined Bag Limits
A. It is unlawful to possess more than five (5) vermilion snapper and ten (10) of the following species of snappers in the aggregate per person per day when the recreational season for each species is open: yellowtail snapper, cubera snapper, gray snapper, mutton snapper and lane snapper. No more than five (5) may be mutton snapper per person per day within the ten (10) fish snapper aggregate.
B. It is unlawful to possess more than three (3) of the following species of groupers or tilefish in the aggregate per person per day when the recreational season for each species is open: gag grouper, black grouper, snowy grouper, red grouper, scamp, rock hind, red hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin grouper, yellowmouth grouper; blueline tilefish and golden tilefish with the following restrictions: 1. No more than one may be a gag or black grouper (but not both) per person per day;
2. No more than one golden tilefish per person per day.
3. No more than one snowy grouper per vessel per day.
C. It is unlawful to possess more than twenty (20) of the following species of fish in the aggregate per person per day when the recreational season for each species is open: whitebone porgy, jolthead porgy, knobbed porgy, saucereye porgy, scup (south of Cape Hatteras, 35° 15.0321’ N. Latitude), gray triggerfish, bar jack, almaco jack, banded rudderfish, lesser amberjack, white grunt, margate, sailor’s choice and spadefish.
D. It is unlawful to possess for recreational purposes yellowedge grouper, misty grouper, and sand tilefish. The recreational season for these species will re-open on January 1, 2020.
XVII. Harvest Restrictions
A. It is unlawful to fail to use dehooking tools in the snapper grouper fisheries when the fish is to be released.
B. It is unlawful to fail to use non-stainless steel circle hooks when fishing for snapper grouper species using natural baits.
C. It is unlawful to possess any species of the snapper grouper complex without heads and fins intact as specified in 50 CFR Part §622.186.
Snapper Grouper Complex Species |
Snappers | Groupers | | Triggerfish | Grunts | Sea Basses |
Blackfin snapper | Black grouper | Wreckfish | Gray triggerfish | Cottonwick** | Bank sea bass** |
Cubera snapper | Coney | Yellowedge grouper | Ocean triggerfish** | Margate | Black sea bass |
Gray snapper | Gag | Yellowfin grouper | | Sailors choice | Rock sea bass** |
Lane snapper | Goliath grouper* | Yellowmouth grouper | Jacks | Tomtate | |
Mutton snapper | Graysby | | Almaco jack | White grunt | |
Queen snapper | Misty grouper | Porgys | Banded rudderfish | | |
Red snapper | Nassau grouper* | Jolthead porgy | Bar jack | Spadefishes | |
Silk snapper | Red grouper | Knobbed porgy | Greater amberjack | Spadefish | |
Vermilion snapper | Red hind | Longspine porgy** | Lesser amberjack | | |
Yellowtail snapper | Rock hind | Red porgy | | Wrasses | |
| Scamp | Saucereye porgy | Tilefishes | Hogfish | |
| Speckled hind* | Scup | Blueline tilefish | | |
| Snowy grouper | Whitebone porgy | Golden tilefish | | |
| Warsaw grouper* | | Sand tilefish | | |
*Harvest prohibited;
**Ecosystem component species (not subject to annual catch limits or management measures |
