The WB Flounder fishing season will be shorter in 2022.

Published by: Wrightsville Beach Fishing

The 2022 recreational flounder season in North Carolina will run from September 1st to September 30th in both internal and ocean waters. During this time, the minimum size limit for flounder will be 15 inches and the creel limit will be 1 fish per person per day. This applies to all species of flounder, as they are all managed under the same recreational regulations. The season was established by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission through Amendment 3 of the Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan, which also includes measures such as commercial and recreational quotas and options for commercial trip limits. The amendment was adopted in May 2022 in response to a 2019 stock assessment that found southern flounder to be overfished and overfishing occurring throughout the region. North Carolina law requires fishery management plans to include measures to end overfishing within two years and rebuild stocks to sustainable levels within 10 years of the plan’s adoption.

Southern Flounder Fishery Management Plan Amendment 3 is a set of measures adopted by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission to manage the southern flounder population in North Carolina. The amendment was adopted in May 2022 in response to a 2019 stock assessment that found southern flounder to be overfished and overfishing occurring throughout the region (North Carolina through the eastern coast of Florida). Amendment 3 includes measures such as commercial and recreational quotas, options for commercial trip limits, and a spring Gulf and summer flounder season for recreational hook and line in the ocean. The amendment also includes the establishment of a recreational flounder season in North Carolina, which runs from September 1st to September 30th in internal and ocean waters. During this time, the minimum size limit for flounder will be 15 inches and the creel limit will be 1 fish per person per day. These measures are intended to help rebuild the southern flounder population and end overfishing in the region.