The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries has closed flounder harvest for gill nets, gigs and other mobile gears in the Mobile Gear Southern Management Area.

The Division closed these waters Oct. 9 by Proclamation FF-39-2025 as landings approached the quota sub-allocation for this gear and area category. Landings were allocated by Flounder Management Area and Gear Categories as outlined in Amendment 4 to the N.C. Southern Flounder FMP.

If the Division determines quota is available for additional harvest days for the Mobile Gear Southern Management Area, further proclamations will be issued.

Fishermen using gill nets who hold an active Estuarine Gill Net Permit and have been issued a confirmation number or assigned an observer through the Observer Trip Scheduling System are not permitted to legally fish large-mesh gill nets in the Mobile Gear Southern Management Area. However, they are allowed to set this gear in the Mobile Gear Northern Management Area, which remains open.

Mobile Gear Management Areas

Mobile gears are all gears other than pound nets used to harvest flounder. Mobile gears are divided into two Management Areas:

·       Northern - waters south of the North Carolina/Virginia border to a line in Core Sound which runs approximately from the Club House on Core Banks westerly to a point on the shore at Davis near Marker “1.”

·       Southern - waters from the line in Core Sound described above south to the North Carolina/South Carolina border.

These management measures comply with requirements of Amendment 4 to the N.C. Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan to maintain harvest within the total allowable landings.