2024 North Carolina Southern Flounder Season Closed

Southern Flounder | Credit: NOAA Fisheries

To preserve the resource, the North Carolina recreational season for southern flounder will not open in 2024, according to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Marine Fisheries Commission.

In order to preserve the southern flounder resource, the North Carolina recreational flounder season will not open for harvest in 2024.

Estimates from 2023 indicate the recreational catch exceeded the quota allowed under a stock rebuilding plan that was included in Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan and adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission.

The Commission lists the status of southern flounder as overfished and overfishing is occurring. 

Amendment 3 to the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan, adopted by the Commission in 2022, set quotas for the recreational and commercial fisheries, based on scientific data, to end overfishing and rebuild the stock. There is a pound-for-pound payback if either sector goes over its quota. 

During it's quarterly business meeting, the Marine Fisheries Commission received an update on the recreational quota available for a recreational founder season.

After subtracting the recreational overage from 2023, the recreational quota remaining for 2024 is not large enough to allow for a season opening. The leftover quota will be used to account for the anticipated dead discards that will occur due to incidental catch and release.

The Commission discussed holding a special meeting to consider alternatives to not holding a 2024 recreational season but ultimately did not move forward with that approach.  

Fisheries managers predict that, following Amendment 3 and not opening the 2024 recreational flounder season, combined with the increased recreational quota in 2025, should allow enough quota for a recreational season next year. 

North Carolina’s southern flounder fisheries are managed under the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3.

For more information on the management measures, visit the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission website (www.deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/marine-fisheries) and see the Southern Flounder Information Page under Hot Topics.