2022 Roanoke River Striped Bass Season

Striped Bass

This spring, the striped bass harvest season in the Roanoke River Management Area will be limited to just four days (April 23-24 and April 28-29.)

Despite the short harvest season, anglers can enjoy catch and release fishing for striped bass on the river.

In February, Cameron Ingram, Executive Director of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) signed a proclamation outlining significant changes to the 2022 striped bass harvest season in the Roanoke River Management Area.

The entire Roanoke River Management Area will be open for harvest of striped bass April 23 - 24 and April 28 - 29.

In addition, the daily creel limit has changed to one striped bass per day. The minimum length limit is 18 inches, and no striped bass between 22 and 27 inches may be possessed at any time.

The Roanoke River Management Area includes the Roanoke River and tributaries from the Roanoke Rapids Lake Dam downstream to the Albemarle Sound, including the Cashie, Middle, and Eastmost rivers.

In 2020, a stock assessment of striped bass in the Roanoke River/Albemarle Sound indicated that the stock was overfished, and overfishing was occurring. In 2021, the harvest quota in the Roanoke River was reduced from 68,750 pounds to 12,804 pounds as a necessary conservation action intended to rebuild the striped bass population.

Despite season reductions, the striped bass harvest exceeded the 12,804-pound harvest quota in 2021 and payback of the overage is required in 2022 as outlined in the N.C. Estuarine Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan.

The payback means a further reduction of the 2022 quota to 6,578 pounds. The four harvest days outlined in the proclamation were selected using past angler creel data with the goal of anglers having an opportunity to harvest fish throughout the river.

"We have seen dramatic declines in the abundance of striped bass, in particular the number of larger, older females. These larger fish are key in rebuilding the Roanoke River-Albemarle Sound striped bass population," said Ben Ricks, coastal region fishery supervisor with NCWRC.

"Additionally, river flows are very important for spawning success. We work closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers each spring to get the best possible flows for spawning on the Roanoke River and we need to make sure there are plenty of fish on the spawning grounds to take full advantage of those flows."

According to NCWRC, anglers can continue to catch and release striped bass throughout the spring despite the shortened harvest season.

NCWRC recommends that anglers use a single barbless hook or a lure with a single barbless hook to reduce handling stress on fish that are released, which is a requirement from April 1 through June 30 when fishing in the upper Roanoke River above the US Highway 258 bridge near Scotland Neck.

Signage will be posted at boating access areas (BAAs) along the Roanoke River to notify anglers of the changes to the open harvest dates. More information about BAAs on the Roanoke River, including the new Odom BAA in Jackson, can be found using the agency’s online BAA locator.

source: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission

Fraser River Sockeye Salmon Disaster

A commercial fishery failure (disaster) has been declared for the Fraser River sockeye salmon fishery in Washington State.

According to NOAA Fisheries, the fishery disaster was caused by the low return of sockeye salmon to the Fraser River, resulting in a subsequent closure of the fishery for the 2013 fishing season. The closure resulted in revenue losses of nearly 97 percent for tribal and non-tribal fishermen.

"The sockeye salmon fishery isn’t just economically significant for the state of Washington – it’s inextricably linked to its history and culture," said Secretary Pritzker. "Because returns of sockeye salmon were so low and caused significant losses of revenues, the fishery qualified as a resource disaster under the nation’s fishing law."

source: NOAA Fisheries

2013 American Shad Regulations

Atlantic coastal fishermen will be facing new American shad regulations for 2013.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) Shad and River Herring Fishery Management Plan amendment 3 requires any state or jurisdiction without an approved sustainable fishery management plan (SFMP) to close its commercial and recreational American shad fisheries, with the exception of catch and release fisheries, by January 1, 2013.

For the 2013 fishing season, ASMFC has approved plans for the Delaware River Basin Fish and Wildlife Management Cooperative (representing New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania), Potomac River Fisheries Commission, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida.

The remaining states and jurisdictions will close their commercial and recreational fisheries in 2013, with the exception of catch and release fisheries.

Source: ASMFC

2013 Roanoke River Striped Bass Season

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open the entire Roanoke River Management Area to striped bass harvest from March 1 through April 30.  The Roanoke River Management Area includes the Roanoke River and tributaries from Roanoke Rapids Lake Dam downstream to Albemarle Sound,including the Cashie, Middle and Eastmost rivers.

The daily creel limit within the Roanoke River Management Area is two striped bass per angler. The minimum length limit is 18 inches, and no striped bass between 22 and 27 inches can be possessed at any time. Only one striped bass larger than 27 inches can be included in the daily creel limit.

Anglers are required to use a single barbless hook or a lure with a single barbless hook when fishing in the upper Roanoke River from April 1 through June 30. The upper Roanoke River is defined as the main river channel and all tributaries, upstream from the U.S.Highway 258 Bridge near Scotland Neck to Roanoke Rapids Lake Dam.

From early March until the end of May, the Commission will post online weekly fishing reports from the Roanoke River every Thursday afternoon.

North Carolina fishing reports and other information can be found on the Wildlife Resources Commission website at www.ncwildlife.org

source: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

Penobscot River Dam Removal

On June 11, 2012, an event was held at the Penobscot Indian Nation reservation to celebrate the breaching of the Great Works Dam on the Penobscot River in Maine. The Great Works dam breaching kicks off a larger effort to improve access to nearly 1,000 miles of river habitat on the Penobscot River.

This large-scale, ecosystem-level project will remove the Great Works and Veazie dams and build a fish bypass around the Howland dam. The project will open up the river to eleven species of migratory fish, including endangered Atlantic salmon, sturgeon, and river herring.

The project will also create new community and economic benefits throughout the watershed. The removal of the Great Works dam, which was partially funded by NOAA through the Recovery Act, has supported more than 250 jobs including engineering, hydrology, construction, science, and local contracting services.
Similar benefits are expected for the Veazie Dam removal and Howland bypass construction. With the river flowing freely, fishers, kayakers, and paddlers will have increased opportunities for recreation on the river.

The three dams are currently used for hydropower generation.  They will continue to operate until the time of removal. Energy generation lost as a result of the removals and decommissioning will be replaced by expanding capacity at existing projects primarily within the Penobscot River watershed. When the project is complete, hydropower generation will be maintained at the same levels as before the project began, and may even increase.

The project is part of collaboration between the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, NOAA and other federal and state agencies, the Penobscot Indian Nation, and seven conservation groups.

source: NOAA FishNews