North Carolina Marine Fisheries Proclamation FF-2-2019 sets the harvest period and limits for the Atlantic Ocean commercial black sea bass fishery north of Cape Hatteras.

The proclamation is effective 12:01 a.m., Sunday, Feb. 17.

The fishery will close by proclamation once the annual North Carolina quota is reached.

Under the proclamation, the size limit is 11 inches total length, excluding the caudal fin.

The harvest period and limits are:

For the FF-2-2019 Proclamation, the definition of week is from 12:01 a.m. Sunday to midnight the following Saturday.

A commercial fishing operation using fish pots, traps and hook and line gear can only land 1,000 pounds black sea bass per week. Any fishing operation using any other gear not listed, including trawls, is limited to 200 pounds of black sea bass.

“The intent of this proclamation is to allow North Carolina to comply with the requirements of the 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 FMP. North Carolina is operating under a state quota and these trip limits and harvest periods are intended to constrain the harvest to the quota,” states the proclamation.

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