North Carolina's recreational fishermen will have a year reprieve from having to report their catches of several popular fish species to state regulators.
But the requirement, which has proven unpopular with fishermen and even state officials, isn't going anywhere.
The new rule requires that anyone who recreationally harvests red drum, flounder, speckled trout, striped bass, and weakfish in the state's coastal or inland waters must report that harvest to the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF).
Additionally, the law requires anyone holding a commercial fishing license who is engaged in a commercial fishing operation to report all fish harvested to DMF, regardless of sale.
The requirement was originally scheduled to come into effect Dec. 1, but it will now be delayed until December 2025 after Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper declined to veto or sign the Senate bill that included the catch-reporting delay language.
The original House bill that included the reporting language also was vetoed by Cooper, who expressed concerns about a host of provisions in the regulatory reform legislation. But the governor's veto was overridden by Republicans who have super majorities in both chambers of the N.C. General Assembly.
More paperwork
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) and DMF are still working out all the fine details. But according to a DMF informational posting on the new rules, recreational fishermen would be required to report how many fish were caught, when they were caught, the area where they were harvested, and the type of gear used.
While nearly everyone admits the new requirements will mean more red tape and potential headaches for fishermen, the hope is it will eventually provide regulators with better data.
That's vital since both recreational and commercial fishermen often question the accuracy of information scientists use to determine catch quotas and harvest windows, especially with popular sought-after species like flounder. State fisheries officials have faced enormous criticism in recent years as they have shortened the recreational flounder window from a year-round open season just a few years ago to only two weeks in 2023 and a complete closure in 2024 − even as some fishermen report seeing large and healthy flounder populations in coastal waters.
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The potential impacts of climate change, especially when it comes to rising sea temperatures, on fishing species' distributions and populations also is a growing concern for marine scientists.
As the plan goes now, fishermen would report the information to regulators via a web-based tool, scanning a QR code that would take them to the DMF website. Future plans call for developing a specific smartphone app. Anglers without a smartphone or internet connection while fishing would be able to print a report card prior to heading out.
"You will then have until midnight the day following harvest to submit your information electronically," states the DMF website.
The reporting system will be funded through a one-time $5 million state appropriation to DMF − although implementing the program is likely to cost a lot more. There also are currently no additional state funds to supplement the 100 or so enforcement officers WRC and DMF currently employ.
Penalties for non-reporting would be phased in over three years. In the first year, only verbal warning will be issued to non-reporters. In the second year, law enforcement would be allowed to issue violators warning tickets. Fines of $35 per offense, along with possible fishing license suspensions, would follow in the third year.
Filling data gaps?
Among the groups that supports the new reporting requirement is the N.C. Marine and Estuary Foundation, a relatively new nonprofit group whose aim is to rebuild the state's coastal resources.
The group lists the new harvest reporting policy as one of its "highlights" of 2023, noting that the foundation worked alongside state legislators and various conservation partners to get it passed.
"This groundbreaking legislation was passed by the N.C. General Assembly on Sept. 22 (2023) and is expected to fill longstanding commercial and recreational data gaps to better understand how fish are harvested from our coastal waters," the foundation states on its website.
But the Coastal Conservation Association of N.C., which represents the interests of the state's recreational saltwater anglers, previously said it has multiple concerns about the new requirements, including how effective it will be in recording all catches, its reliance on technology to gather data, weak penalties for violators, and how an already overstretched law enforcement force will police it.
"We certainly support the concept of better data collection that would lead to better management, but we are not sure this system gets us there," said David Sneed, executive director of the state chapter.
According to the latest state data, North Carolina sold nearly 500,000 fishing licenses to in-state and out-of-state anglers in 2022.
State regulators have said they didn't request the new reporting requirements.
But they did push for the one-year delay in its adoption to allow officials to get the word out about the new rule, educate fishermen on how to comply with the requirement, and allow any tweaks to be ironed out with the new reporting system.
Reporter Gareth McGrath can be reached at GMcGrath@Gannett.com or @GarethMcGrathSN on X/Twitter. This story was produced with financial support from the Green South Foundation and the Prentice Foundation. The USA TODAY Network maintains full editorial control of the work.
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