From the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries

 

MOREHEAD CITY — The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries is continuing efforts to better explain the health of the state’s fisheries by tying its annual stock overview report to terminology commonly used in peer reviewed stock assessments.

In this year’s report, the division no longer assigns fish stocks to one of the five former categories: viable, recovering, depleted, concern and unknown. Instead, the stock status for a species is tied directly to the most recent peer reviewed stock assessment determination of overfishing and overfished/depleted.

Assigning species stock status to one of the former five categories had become increasingly difficult over time because definitions of the terms overlapped, and stock conditions were often in transition. Tying the stock status determinations to peer reviewed stock assessments removes subjectivity. For species that do not have an overfishing/overfished status, the report still documents trends in biological data and summarizes management.

It is the second consecutive year that the division has substantially changed the stock overview. Last year, the division altered the format of the report to clarify the role the state plays in management of each species, separating state-managed species from those cooperatively managed through a federal or interstate entity.

Three state managed species warrant notation in this year’s stock overview:

Blue crab — Results of the 2018 benchmark stock assessment indicate the blue crab stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. This assessment passed peer review and the model was accepted for use in management. The division is developing Amendment 3 to the Blue Crab Fishery Management Plan in conjunction with an advisory committee.

Striped mullet — Amendment 1 to the N.C. Striped Mullet Fishery Management Plan, adopted in 2015, requires the division to initiate further analysis of the striped mullet data if commercial landings fall below 1.13 million pounds or above 2.76 million pounds in any given year. In 2016, commercial landings of striped mullet fell below the 1.13 million pound minimum to 964,348 pounds, triggering the analysis. A 2018 update of the state’s 2013 striped mullet stock assessment found that overfishing is not occurring; however, it cannot be determined if the stock is overfished. The N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission will discuss potential management options at its August meeting.

Southern flounder — A January 2018 stock assessment of southern flounder in the south Atlantic indicated that the stock is overfished and overfishing is occurring. This assessment passed peer review, and the model was accepted for use in management with the condition that it be updated with information through 2017 so management is based on the most current data available. The update is underway and expected to be complete this fall. The division is developing Amendment 2 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan in conjunction with an advisory committee.

For more information, read the entire review at http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/stock-overview or contact division biologist Lee Paramore at Lee.Paramore@ncdenr.gov or 252-473-5734.