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North Carolina Marine Fisheries Proclamation FF-18-2025 opens the commercial black sea bass fishery north of Cape Hatteras at 12:01 a.m., April 26, 2025.

The fishery will close by proclamation once 80% of the annual North Carolina quota is reached or at 6 p.m., Dec. 31, 2025, whichever occurs first.

The following restrictions are included in the proclamation.

Size limit: unlawful to possess black sea bass less than 11 inches total length (excluding the caudal fin filament) north of Cape Hatteras.

Trip limits:

– Using fish pots, traps, and/or hook and line gear, regardless of the number of people involved, to possess or land more than 3,000 pounds of black sea bass per trip.

– Using trawls, regardless of the number of people involved, to offload more than 5,000 pounds of black sea bass per trip.

– Using other gear, to possess or land more than 100 pounds of black sea bass in a commercial fishing operation, regardless of the number of people involved.

The intent of this proclamation is to allow North Carolina to comply with the requirements of the joint Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council/Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission Summer Flounder, Scup and Black Sea Bass Fishery Management Plan (FMP) and to manage the commercial black sea bass fishery under the state quota system established by the plan. North Carolina is operating under a state quota and these trip limits and harvest periods are intended to constrain the harvest to the quota.

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