Tarpon Now Catch-And-Release in North Carolina

Photo Courtesy of Rosemary J. White

Effective immediately, tarpon fishing in North Carolina state waters is now catch-and-release only.

The new regulation was implemented after an appeal from North Carolina pier operators failed during the legislative review process. North Carolina now joins Florida as Atlantic states with no-keep regulations for the highly migratory species. Florida sells a permit that allows anglers seeking a state or world record to keep one tarpon for that purpose.

South Carolina has a limit of one tarpon per person per day with a 77-inch minimum length limit. Georgia allows angler to keep one tarpon per day with a 68-inch minimum length limit.

“Protecting this magnificent fish while it spends time in our North Carolina waters is a great move by the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Commission Board,” said Capt. Jot Owens, who is a guide and BTT Conservation Captain. “Thank you to everyone who supported this amendment and a special thanks to the commission board members who voted in favor of this ruling.”

For more on North Carolina marine fisheries, see http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/mf/home.

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