(A) Albemarle Sound Management Area: contact DMF for seasons, areas or other limits; Atlantic Ocean year-round: 1 per person per day at 28” TL minimum;
Other coastal fishing waters; 2 per person per day at 18” TL minimum and unlawful to possess between 22” – 27” TL in Joint Fishing Waters. This Includes hybrid bass.
Season: October through April, statewide by Proclamation. Moratorium in Cape Fear River system.
(B) Limit of 10 per person per day or 60 per trip, whichever is less. On headboats, limit is 10 per person per day. No sale of recreational bag limit on vessels operating as charter or headboats.
(C) Unlawful to possess red drum greater than 27 inches total length. Unlawful to gig, spear, or gaff red drum. One black drum per person per day over 25” TL is allowed.
(D) Black sea bass NORTH of Cape Hatteras, open in TWO harvest seasons: 12:01 A.M. May 15 through midnight September 21, 2016 AND 12:01 A.M. October 22 through midnight December 31, 2016
(E) See prohibited species list above; Legal sharks include: tiger, blacktip, spinner, lemon, bull, nurse, smooth and scalloped and great hammerhead, blacknose, finetooth, bonnethead, shortfin mako, blue, thresher, porbeagle, and oceanic whitetip. One (1) Atlantic sharpnose (no minimum size) and one bonnethead (no minimum size) per person per day may be landed in addition to allowable bag limits for other sharks. See most recent Proclamation.
(F) Mature female crabs are exempt from minimum size.
(G) In state or federal waters, federal permit required for Highly Migratory Species, excluding Atlantic bonito, little tunny (albacore), and blackfin tuna: 978-281-9370. Prior to removal from vessel, all billfishes, swordfish and bluefin tuna must be reported at NC HMS reporting stations. DMF website for more details. (H) SNAPPER-GROUPER COMPLEX SPECIES:
Whitebone porgy, jolthead porgy, knobbed porgy, saucereye porgy, scup (south of Hatteras only), gray triggerfish, bar jack, white grunt, margate, sailor’s choice and spadefish. 20 per person per day in combination when the species are open to harvest. (see note I below). It is unlawful to possess whitebone porgy, jolthead porgy, knobbed porgy, saucereye porgy and scup (south of Hatteras only) effective September 3, 2016 through midnight December 31, 2016. It is unlawful to possess almcaco jack, lesser amberjack and banded rudderfish effective August 9, 2016 through midnight December 31, 2016. (I) For seasons, bag limits, size limits or closures for tunas, billfishes and sharks, contact NMFS Highly Migratory Species Division 800-894-5528. For snapper, grouper and mackerels, contact the South Atlantic Council 843-571-4366 or www.safmc.net, and see the most recent FF-Snapper Grouper recreational proclamation. Possession of red snapper is prohibited. | (J) Shallow water grouper species (gag, black, red, scamp, rock hind, red hind, coney, graysby, yellowfin, and yellowmouth grouper ) harvest is prohibited January 1–April 30. Possession of red snapper is prohibited.
(K) Grouper in the management unit include: snowy, red, yellowfin, yellowmouth, black, yellowedge, misty, gag, scamp, red hind, rock hind, graysby, and coney. The three (3) grouper bag limit also includes blueline, golden and sand tilefish. Maximum of one golden tilefish per person per day and one snowy grouper per vessel per day (when season is open). Unlawful to possess golden tilefish effective 12:01 A.M. August 27, 2016 through midnight December 31, 2016. New regulations establish a May 1 through August 31 season for snowy grouper and blueline tilefish. No possession of Nassau, goliath and warsaw groupers and speckled hind.
(L) It is unlawful to possess blacknose, finetooth, blacktip, bull, lemon, nurse, spinner, tiger, blue, oceanic whitetip, porbeagle, shortfin mako and common thresher less than 54 inches (FL). It is unlawful to possess great, scalloped and smooth hammerhead sharks less than 78 inches (FL). It is unlawful to possess a great, scalloped or smooth hammerhead or oceanic whitetip shark while in possession of tunas, billfish or swordfish.
(M) Cobia, minimum 37 inches FL, private boat harvest allowed Mon/Wed/Sat of two fish per vessel or one per person per day if only one person is on board. Charter vessel harvest allowed 7 days/week, 4 fish per vessel per day or one fish per person per day if fewer than four people are on board. Shore and pier anglers allowed 1 fish per person per day. See Proclamation FF-28-2016, season closes September 30, 2016.
(N) Contact DMF or visit http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/proclamations for seasons, areas, or other restrictions. Bay Scallop and Oyster harvest are closed.
(O) It is unlawful to take or possess American Shad from the Atlantic Ocean. For aggregate creel limits for American shad and hickory shad, see most recent Proclamation.
(P) Season open July 1 – August 31. (Q) Season open January 1 - August 31, except year round when taken by baited pots. (R) Season open January 1 – October 15.
 Size and creel limits for spotted seatrout, flounder, red drum and gray trout taken in inland waters are the same as the recreational limits for those species in adjacent joint and coastal waters. |
