Landings

Allow the director of the division to set red drum size and bag limits by proclamation to allow the agency to be able to respond quickly to changes in the fishery. The Marine Fisheries Commission usually sets such rules.
To download a copy of the red drum plan, visit the division's web site at: www.ncdmf.net/download/
reddrumFMP_final.pdf. For more information about the plan, call Louis Daniel by e-mail at Louis.Daniel@ncmail.net or by calling 1-800-682-2632 or 252-726-7021.

Dolphin license plates
are now available
You can support research and conservation programs at the N.C. Maritime Museum in Beaufort by buying "Protect Wild Dolphin" license plates.
The plates, which are a special edition of the state's regular First in Flight license plates, cost $30 and can be personalized for an additional $20. For an application, call the museum at 252-728-7317 or the Cape Lookout Studies Program at 252-504-2452. For an online application, visit www.southern-outerbanks.com/
clsp-plate.html.

Check here before
Going surf fishing
Before you go surf fishing, try surfing the web to get the latest information on what's biting and where. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries has launched an on-line fishing report at www.ncdmf.net/fishreport/ where fishermen can get the scoop on coastal catches, as well as tips on bait and tackle. 
The report, which is updated weekly, covers charter and head boat activity, pier and surf action, and private boat catches, along the northern, central and southern portions of the coast. There are even regional e-mail contacts if anglers need more details about what's being caught.
The division has recreational port agents that canvass 220 places along the coast, producing weekly reports about fishing activity for the Marine Recreational Fishery Statistics Survey. While this information is useful to anglers who want to know what's biting, its real use is to assist fisheries managers estimate the impact of recreational fishing on our marine resources.

Concern over the declining populations of red drum led the Division of Marine Fisheries in 1998 to begin preparing a long-term management strategy that would guide the recovery of this important species.  Temporary rules and harvest restrictions were implemented to begin stabilizing the stock until the plan could be developed and approved.
Some of the plan's highlights are: 
Establishment of a new commercial fishing year that runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, with a 50-pound trip limit to ensure continuation of the historical by-catch fishery.
Required attendance of commercial gill net with a mesh length less than 5 inches from May to October in certain areas to allow the release of red drum entangled in the nets.
Prohibit the possession or sale of adult red drum larger than 27 inches to allow the larger, older fish the opportunity to spawn.
Reduction of the recreational harvest limit to one fish a day between 18 inches and 27 inches to limit the recreational impact on the fishery.