News & Events
IMPORTANT REMINDER:
All Charter-for-hire and recreational anglers are required to have an Estuarine Gill Net Permit
(EGNP) to set a gill net to harvest bait fish. It is also compulsory to be in compliance with the
new Observer Trip Scheduling System (OTSS) which went live February 17, 2025.
The NC Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF) defines the ruling:
“If this sector is setting/fishing a gill net that is not a run-around/strike/drop gill net or drift gill
net (definitions below), then they are required to have an EGNP to set those nets regardless of if
it’s recreational or commercial.”
-
Run-around, strike, or drop gill nets - gill nets that are actively fished by either (1) using the
boat to run a net around a school of fish, creating a closed circle, or (2) using the boat after the
net is set to herd fish into the net without delay, whereby soak time does not exceed 30 minutes
from the end of the set to the beginning of the haul.
-
Drift gill nets - gill nets that are used to capture fish while being moved along by water currents
whereby the net stays attached to the vessel from deployment through retrieval.
Specifics on the both new programs are outlined in the NCDMF website, deq.nc.gov, with the
full OTSS Rollout Packet.
The NCWU strongly encourages all sectors to be cognizant these new regulations.
GREAT NEWS!!
​
NOAA’s Proposed Vessel Speed Limit Reduction Amendment to reduce North Atlantic Right Whale strikes has been withdrawn. This would have caused a drastic, negative economic impact on not only our watermen in N.C. but all boaters from the Bay of Maine to just south of Jacksonville, FL. The North Carolina Watermen United has worked tirelessly since the ruling was first proposed in the summer of 2022. Over the last thirty (30) months we have sent numerous position papers to NOAA, held personal interviews with the Federal Office of Management & Budget, and reached out to other organizations in surrounding states. In preparation of the Amendment being enacted, the NCWU also worked alongside the Southeastern Legal Foundation to file suit in federal court if needed. This is a satisfying blueprint of what can be accomplished with when organizations and concerned individuals work together on a piece of legislation that we all feel is neither fair nor equitable.
​
The accompanying article from the Outer Banks News/Island Free Press by Sam Walker dated January 17, 2025 provides more specifics:
https://islandfreepress.org/outer-banks-news/noaa-withdraws-vessel-speed-limit-proposal-to-
July 12, 2024
​
New recreational, commercial harvest reporting
requirements delayed to Dec. 1, 2025
​
MOREHEAD CITY – New harvest reporting requirements for recreational and commercial fisheries have been delayed by one year and will now become effective on Dec. 1, 2025.
The N.C. General Assembly recently passed Session Law 2024-45, which, in part, amends legislation from last fall that would have implemented the harvest reporting requirements on Dec. 1, 2024.
This extension will allow the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) to engage with stakeholders, not only to inform them about the requirements, but also to ensure that the reporting process and tool(s) are robust and user-friendly.
The legislation from last fall requires that any person who recreationally harvests Red Drum, flounder, Spotted Seatrout (speckled trout), Striped Bass and Weakfish (gray trout) must report that harvest to the DMF. This requirement applies to fish harvested from coastal fishing waters, joint fishing waters and inland fishing waters adjacent to coastal or joint fishing waters.
Additionally, the law requires anyone holding a commercial fishing license who is engaged in a commercial fishing operation to report all fish harvested to DMF, regardless of sale.
More information, including links to temporary rules to implement the laws, can be found on the Mandatory Harvest Reporting webpage at https://www.deq.nc.gov/mandatory-harvest-reporting. The webpage will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.
For More Information:
DMF Contact: Patricia Smith
Phone: 252-515-5500
P.O. Box 769, 3441 Arendell St.,
Morehead City N.C. 28577