This new regulations take effect on Tuesday Nov 30 where the commercial harvest of spotted sea trout will be prohibited year around from midnight on Friday to midnight Sunday each week. The current 14-inch minimum size limit will remain in effect. At a meeting of N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission the decision was taken. The spotted sea trout stock is considered overfished and the new regulations for both commercial and recreational harvest are required to meet harvest reduction.
Expert said that the closure initially approved would have taken the whole trout season, a blow to commercial fishermen working to feed their families. The weekend closure keeps the fishermen working and makes the regulations more equitable between commercial and recreational fishermen.
The recreational bag limit for spotted sea trout will decrease from 10 fish to six fish per person per day. No more than two of the six fish may be greater than 24 inches in length. The current 14-inch minimum size limit will remain in effect. In inland waters, under the jurisdiction of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, the minimum size limit will remain12 inches and the bag limit at 10 fish per person per day for the 2010-2011 fishing season. The minimum size limit for spotted sea trout will increase to 14 inches in inland fishing waters for 2011-2012 fishing season, which begins Aug. 1, 2011. The daily creel limit will remain the same.
