Marine Fisheries Commission concludes quarterly meeting with updates on Southern Flounder and Striped Bass

The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission held its quarterly business meeting this week, where members received key updates from the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries staff and took action on scheduled administrative items.

As part of the meeting, Division staff presented an analysis of Southern Flounder in North Carolina waters using the Division’s fishery-independent sampling data through 2024. The analysis showed modest improvements in the North Carolina portion of the Southern Flounder stock, including a slight increase in relative abundance and an expansion in the age range of fish observed.

The Commission also received an update on the harvest management strategy for Striped Bass in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico rivers. Based on the adaptive management framework adopted in Amendment 2 to the Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan, the Division and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission have developed harvest management measures that provide both protection for, and access to, the resource. The harvest management strategy will be implemented in 2026 to allow for limited harvest of stocked fish in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico rivers while limiting harvest of Albemarle-Roanoke stock Striped Bass that also reside in these systems. For details on the harvest management strategy, please visit the Information on Estuarine Striped Bass Amendment 2 webpage.

In other business, the Commission voted to:

• Nominate Robert Ruhle, Mary Ellon Ballance and Thomas Newman for the obligatory seat for the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council.
• Adopt amendments to Marine Fisheries Commission rules that are subject to legislative review in 2026 before becoming effective. A separate news release will be issued at that time. Subjects include:
  • Permit requirements (15A NCAC 03I .0101, .0114, 03O .0501-.0503).
  • Conforming changes to franchise and shellfish lease requirements (15A NCAC 03I .0101, 03O, 0201, .0207, .0208, .0210).

Additionally, the Commission received the proposed framework and tentative timeline for developing the 2026 Coastal Habitat Protection Plan Amendment. The draft framework identifies four focus areas for the amendment: submerged aquatic vegetation protection and restoration, planning for multi-decadal changes to wetlands, using an integrated ecosystem assessment to determine the status and trends of coastal habitats and examining how community engagement and resilience relate to coastal habitat protection.

To view the meeting materials and a recording of the meeting, please see the MFC Meetings webpage.