North Carolina Inshore Gillnet Fishery - MMPA List of Fisheries

U.S. fisheries are classified under the Marine Mammal Protection Act according to the level of interactions that result in incidental mortality or serious injury of marine mammals.

Southeast

Current Classification on the List of Fisheries

Category	II
Estimated Number of Participants	2,676
Target Species	Southern flounder, weakfish, bluefish, Atlantic croaker, striped mullet, spotted seatrout, Spanish mackerel, striped bass, spot, red drum, black drum, and shad
Applicable Take Reduction Plans	Bottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Plan
Observer Coverage	Observer coverage, up to 10% in some cases, is provided by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, primarily during the fall flounder fishery in Pamlico Sound. The Northeast Fishery Observer Program has observed the fishery at low levels, as well as the North Carolina Alternative Platform Observer Program.
Marine Mammal Species/Stocks Killed or Injured	Bottlenose dolphin, Northern North Carolina (NC) estuarine¹ Bottlenose dolphin, Southern NC estuarine¹

^ Number of participants estimates are based on state and federal fisheries permit data. The estimated number of participants is expressed in terms of the number of active participants in the fishery, when possible. If this information is not available, the estimated number of vessels or persons licensed for a particular fishery is provided. If no recent information is available on the number of participants, then the number from the most recent LOF is used. NOAA Fisheries acknowledges that, in some cases, these estimations may be inflating actual effort.

*Observer coverage levels include the latest information reported in the most current final Stock Assessment Report (SAR).

¹ Indicates the stock or species is driving the classification of the fishery.

Basis for Current Classification

The 2010 LOF included a superscript “1” following bottlenose dolphin (WNA coastal stock) because the annual mortality and serious injury of that stock in this fishery was greater than 1% and less than 50% of the stock’s Potential Biological Removal (PBR) level. When the stocks of bottlenose dolphins killed/injured in this fishery were updated on the 2011 LOF, the superscript “1” was retained after each of these stocks because NOAA Fisheries cannot yet differentiate to which stock a killed/injured animal belongs. Until NOAA Fisheries is able to do so, each stock of bottlenose dolphin is considered to be driving the classification of the fishery.

Distribution

This fishery includes any gillnet effort for any target species inshore of the COLREGS demarcation lines in North Carolina (COLREGS demarcation lines delineate those waters upon which mariners shall comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea and those waters upon which mariners shall comply with the Inland Navigation Rules).

Gear Description

This fishery includes any fishing effort using any type of gillnet gear, including set (float and sink), drift, and runaround gillnet.

Management

This fishery is managed under state and Interstate Fishery Management Plans, applying net and mesh size regulations, and seasonal area closures in the Pamlico Sound Gillnet Restricted Area. It is an affected fishery under the Bottlenose Dolphin Take Reduction Plan.

Historical Information

Original Category (Year added to the LOF)	III (1996)
Original Number of Participants	94
Basis for Original Classification	All marine mammal strandings exhibiting evidence of gillnet fishery interactions recovered by the North Carolina marine mammal stranding network since at least 1992 were from offshore locations. However, as marine mammals stranded in the marshes are difficult to detect, stranding data will reflect this bias. NOAA Fisheries stated that there was a potential for interaction with bottlenose dolphins, and therefore, would continue to collect information on this fishery.
Past Names	N/A
Species/stocks historically documented as killed or injured (but not currently on the list)	N/A

Timeline of Changes

2020	Estimated number of participants updated from 2,850 to 2,676.
2017	Estimated number of participants updated from 1,323 to 2,850.
2013	Estimated number of participants updated from 2,250 to1,323.
2011	Updated the stock name for bottlenose dolphins killed/injured in this fishery, based on the revised stock structure presented in the final 2008 and 2009 SARs. Replaced bottlenose dolphin (WNA coastal) with the following stocks: bottlenose dolphin (Northern NC estuarine system); bottlenose dolphin (Southern NC estuarine system. Retained a superscript “1” after each of these stocks because the 2010 LOF includes a superscript “1” following bottlenose dolphin (WNA coastal) and NOAA Fisheries cannot yet differentiate to which stock a killed/injured animal belongs. Until NOAA Fisheries is able to do so, each stock of bottlenose dolphin is considered to be driving the classification of the fishery. Estimated number of participants updated from 94 to 2,250. This estimation may be an inflation of actual effort; however, it represents the potential effort for the fishery, given the multiple gear types several state permits may allow for.
2006	Added a superscript “1” after bottlenose dolphin (WNA coastal), indicating that this stock was driving the categorization of the fishery.
2001	Elevated from a Category III to a Category II based on a GIS analysis of fishery interaction data from bottlenose dolphin (WNA coastal) strandings in North Carolina. Analysis revealed 12 fishery interaction-related strandings in inshore waters. Counting only 2 of the 12 animals for which the strandings were clearly attributable to gillnet interactions, this fishery takes a minimum 0.4 animals/year, which was 1.6% of PBR (PBR=25).
1999	Added this fishery to the current mid-Atlantic coastal gillnet fishery observer program to gain more conclusive information for potential reclassification of the fishery on future LOFs. Bottlenose dolphin (WNA coastal) added to list of species/stocks killed/injured in this fishery based on 1 stranded bottlenose dolphin and 2 bottlenose dolphins disentangled and released from inshore waters.