The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries will begin accepting public comment Dec. 18, 2023 on proposed management to address sustainable harvest in the striped mullet fishery. The public comment period will close Jan. 17, 2024.
Also known as jumping mullet and finger mullet, the fish are primarily used locally as bait to catch a variety of other fish including red drum, flounder and bluefish.
Draft Amendment 2 to the Striped Mullet Fishery Management Plan contains a suite of proposed management options pertaining to the commercial and recreational fisheries.
The division says management measures are necessary to achieve sustainable harvest in the striped mullet fishery within a 10-year timeline. Options in the Draft Amendment 2 plan include:
- Size limits,
- Season closures,
- Area closures,
- Trip limits,
- Combinations of measures,
- Day of the week management,
- A catch cap on the stop net fishery,
- Recreational vessel and bag limits,
- For-hire vessel and bag limits, and
- Adaptive management.
The Division of Marine Fisheries has initially recommended the following measures, which are subject to change based on public and advisory committee input:
- 50-pound trip limit Jan. 1-31 and Nov. 16-Dec 31,
- Year-round Saturday through Sunday 50-pound trip limit,
- 500-pound trip limit Feb.1-Oct.15,
- 30,000-pound stop net catch cap,
- 50 fish recreational individual bag limit,
- For-hire vessel bag limit equal to the number of anglers they are licensed to carry (including possession in advance of a trip), and
- Adaptive management.
The public may submit comments on the Draft Amendment 2 through an online questionnaire or through mail:
- Submit Online Comments – Public comments will be accepted through an online form. The form will open on Dec. 18 and remain live until 5 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2024. Click here to submit comments online.
- Mail Comments – Written comments may be mailed to Draft Striped Mullet FMP Amendment 2 Comments, P.O. Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557. Comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Jan. 17, 2024.
Division staff will hold an online listening session on Tuesday Dec. 19, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Division staff will give a presentation on management options available in the Draft Striped Mullet Amendment 2, and the public may ask questions. Click here to Register
The public may also give public comment at any of three Marine Fisheries Commission advisory committee meetings scheduled for:
Northern Regional AC: Tuesday, Jan. 9, 6 p.m., Dare County Commissioners Meeting Room, 954 Marshall Collins C. Drive, Manteo.
Southern Regional AC: Wednesday, Jan. 10, 6 p.m., Department of Environmental Quality Regional Office, 127 Cardinal Drive, Wimington.
Finfish AC: Tuesday, Jan. 16, 6 p.m., Division of Marine Fisheries Office, 5285 Highway 70 West, Morehead City.
The Division of Marine Fisheries and the Marine Fisheries Commission will consider public comment received during this period in determining which management strategies to recommend.
The Marine Fisheries Commission is scheduled to select its preferred management measures for Departmental and legislative review at its February 2024 meeting. Consideration for final approval of the amendment is scheduled for May 2024.
For more information contact division biologists Jeffrey Dobbs at Jeffrey.Dobbs@deq.nc.gov or 252-808-8193 or Willow Patten at Willow.Patten@deq.nc.gov or 252-948-3884.
