North Carolina moves its 2027 commercial spot closure to Jan. 1 through April 28

North Carolina's commercial spot season will close Jan. 1 through April 28 in 2027 in Coastal and Joint Fishing Waters, the state Division of Marine Fisheries announced Nov. 2. That replaces the Dec. 10 through April 4 closure used every year since 2021.

The closure exists to meet a 1% cut in commercial spot harvest required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Fishermen south of Carteret County had argued the old dates hit them harder, because spot show up later and move offshore later there than in the northern coastal counties.

Division staff reviewed the available data and proposed the later window as a statewide conservation equivalency that still meets the 1% reduction. The ASMFC's Sciaenids Management Board approved the proposal in May 2026. Details are in Proclamation FF-50-2026.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (Nov. 2, 2026).