NCsaltaire

Spotted Sea Trout Restrictions

January 12, 2011 at 8:13 pm Leave a comment

Effective Friday, 14 January 2011, it is unlawful to possess Spotted Sea Trout in any coastal and joint waters in Eastern Carolina. This rule applies to both recreational fisherman and commercial operations.

The weather and water temperature has been unusually cold this year. The ocean water temperature has been in the upper 30’s and lower 40’s for the entire month of December. This has subjected to the fishery to extreme stress.

Please see the proclamation from the Department of  NC fisheries:

This action is being taken in response to recent cold stun events affecting
mainly spotted seatrout.  The intent of this action is to prevent harvest of
vulnerable cold stunned fish which may recover with warming water temperatures.   In approving the Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan, the N.C. Marine. Fisheries Commission authorized the Director to intervene in the event of a catastrophic event and do what is necessary in terms of temporary closures.

If you catch a Spotted Sea Trout during the proclamation period, careful handling  and release is important for the survival of this valuable resource.

We are hopeful they will rebound quickly once the weather improves. Please do your part.

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