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Division presents Atlantic bonito data; commission asks staff to draft 5‑fish recreational bag rule language
Summary
DMF presented low-precision but increasing Atlantic bonito landings for North Carolina and recommended an issue paper and subsequent rulemaking. Commissioners asked the division to return with draft rule language for a 5‑fish recreational bag limit at the next meeting; staff said rulemaking would begin May 2026 with possible effective dates in 2027.
Jackie Deegan, the Atlantic bonito species lead, briefed the commission on Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) biology, distribution and catch characteristics from coastwide and state datasets (MRIP, trip tickets, ACCSP, 1994–2024). She cautioned the commission about limited sample sizes and high percent standard errors in recreational estimates but noted North Carolina landings have trended higher since 2017 and that the state accounted for about 22% of coastwide recreational landings and 83% in the South Atlantic in her data set.
Discussion among commissioners emphasized the data gaps (no regional stock assessment for the U.S. side), the species’ seasonal patterns (March–June peak), and the absence of management elsewhere in the Southeast. Commissioner concern about potential vulnerability in North Carolina — where anglers and gears may associate bonito with structure and spawning behavior — led to a motion asking staff to bring draft rule language for a 5‑fish recreational bag limit at the next meeting. Staff and counsel confirmed that developing draft rule language and a white paper would run on the same Administrative Procedure Act timeline; staff said start of rulemaking remains May 2026 with the earliest regulatory effective date April 1, 2027.
