Tag Archives: environment

Meet Jesse Bissette

October’s Sea Trail Fishing Club’s Guest Speaker will be Jesse Bissette.

Jesse Bissette is the Marine Fisheries Commission liaison for the N.C. Department of Natural Resources Division of Marine Fisheries.

He will address the “Manditory Harvest Reporting Program”

Patricia Smith, Public Information Officer of the N.C. DNR will also be available for questions.


Jesse began his career with DMF in the Marine Recreational Information
Program — in DMF shop talk, that’s MRIP. As an MRIP creel agent, he
spent his time interviewing anglers for recreational fishing surveys up and
down the North Carolina coast. He also worked with the division’s Observer
Program before moving to Public Affairs where he was the division’s multi-
media specialist.


In his current position, Jesse supervises the Marine Fisheries Commission
Office, working closely with the commission chairman, the Division Director,
and Division staff to plan commission and advisory committee meetings.
He is also part of a Mandatory Harvest Reporting Outreach Team at the
Division. He has been visiting fishing clubs across the state to talk about
these upcoming requirements.


In his spare time, Jesse works with team of folks that run the website
NCFishes.com, an independent project dedicated to photographing all of
the various fishes found in North Carolina waters. Many of the beautiful
photographs of fish found on the Division of Marine Fisheries website were
taken by Jesse.

Background Information: North Carolina is implementing mandatory catch reporting for certain species starting December 1, 2025. Both recreational and commercial fishermen must report their harvests. Recreational anglers are required to report specific species: Red Drum, Flounder, Spotted Seatrout, Striped Bass, and Weakfish. Commercial fishermen must report all fish harvested in coastal and joint fishing waters, regardless of whether the fish are sold. The NC Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) will provide reporting methods, which are expected to include web-based tools and eventually a smartphone app, for the public to comply with this law. 

North Carolina Vice President of Conservation Council of N. C. Describes Political Conflict In N. C. Fisheries Management

2020 CCA Civil Suit Against State of North Carolina Alleging “Mismanagement of Marine Resources” Still in Limbo

By Laurie Thomas Vass, Director of Public Relations

Sea Trail Fishing Club, Sunset Beach, N. C.

The Sea Trail Fishing Club hosted an address by Stuart Creighton, Vice President of the Coastal Conservation Association, on June 19, 2025, at the Pink Palace, in the Sea Trails Development.

Creighton began his address by expressing his reluctance to harm the livelihoods of North Carolina commercial fishermen.

“I do not sleep well at night over my concern about the threat to the way of life of the people who make their living from harvesting the sea,” Creighton said.

“But, he continued, “there are much better ways to harvest the bounty of our oceans that do not cause damage to the marine environment, or cause great conflict with the recreational anglers.”

The CCA civil suit alleges that the government of North Carolina has been an “abject failure” in managing the state’s marine resources.

The suit is based on the State’s longstanding, public-trust responsibilities to manage coastal fish stocks in a way that protects the public-trust rights of the public, as codified in the North Carolina Constitution, Article I, Section 38. Right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife.

The State Constitution states, in part,

“The right of the people to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife is a valued part of the State’s heritage and shall be forever preserved for the public good. The people have a right, including the right to use traditional methods, to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife, subject only to laws enacted by the General Assembly and rules adopted pursuant to authority granted by the General Assembly to (i) promote wildlife conservation and management and (ii) preserve the future of hunting and fishing. Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife.”

The five year delay in hearing the lawsuit is a testament to the deep political divisions in the state between the commercial fishing interests and the recreational and sports fishing interests.

For example, at the April 2025 Sea Trail Fishing Club meeting, Josh Reynolds, a charter captain at Maverick Charters, in Shallotte, N. C., said he doubts the accuracy and legitimacy of the North Carolina data used to prohibit fishing in North Carolina.

“I fish just about 365 days a year,” he said. “I see an abundance of sea trout, flounder and Blue Fish every day. The over-regulation is killing me financially,” he added. “I have had to target Sheepshead in order to stay alive financially, and the over-regulation in the other species is causing a decline of the Sheepshead population because that is the only fish anglers can keep.”

The political conflict over marine resources has generated legislation in the North Carolina General Assembly to provide greater oversight of how the Marine Resources Commission manages their responsibilities.

Creighton reviewed the House Bill 442, An Act to Restore Recreational Fishing For Flounder and Red Snapper,” with his observation that there are better methods for the commercial fishing industry to harvest marine resources, without causing a complete ban against recreational flounder fishing.

Creighton closed his comments to the members of the Sea Trail Fishing Club by noting that the long-standing abdication of the State’s responsibilities to manage the marine resources must be addressed soon, or else the future of recreational fishing will be in great jeopardy.

About the Conservation Council of North Carolina: CCA is truly grass roots, and our banquets are where our volunteer leaders, the local community, and generous sponsors come together to support our work to conserve, promote and enhance North Carolina’s marine resources. https://ccanc.org/

About the Sea Trail Fishing Club: The Sea Trail Fishing Club (STFC) is a non-profit organization focused on promoting fishing and fellowship amongst its members.  The Club accomplishes its mission through member social interactions, seminars, guest speakers, and Club outings. The club meets monthly on the 3rd Thursday of the month at the Pink Palace, in the Sea Trails Development, in Sunset Beach, N. C.  https://seatrailfishing.com/home/about-us-2/

New NC Rules for Speckled Trout

Information on Spotted Seatrout FMP Amendment 1

Draft Spotted Seatrout FMP Amendment 1


A review of the Spotted Seatrout Fishery Management Plan is underway. Results of the 2022 benchmark stock assessment indicate the stock is not overfished but is experiencing overfishing. At their November 2024 business meeting, the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission vote to select their preferred management options for the commercial and recreational Spotted Seatrout fisheries.


Division management recommendation for both sectors:
• Statewide harvest closure Jan. through Feb.


Division management recommendation for recreational fishery:
• 14”–20” slot limit with allowance for one fish >26”
• 3 fish bag limit


Division management recommendation for commercial fishery:
• 11:59 p.m. Friday to 12:01 a.m. Tuesday closure from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31
• No changes to Bogue Banks stop net quota, but formalize management in Amendment 1


Division supplemental and cold stun management recommendations:
• Eliminate spotted seatrout captain/crew limit on for-hire trips
• Extend harvest closure following a severe cold stun through Jun. 30
For questions, contact Lucas Pensinger, Lucas.Pensinger@deq.nc.gov or Melinda Lambert, Melinda.Lambert@deq.nc.gov.

New recreational, commercial harvest reporting requirements delayed to Dec. 1, 2025

        July 12, 2024   New recreational, commercial harvest reporting requirements delayed to Dec. 1, 2025   MOREHEAD CITY – New harvest reporting requirements for recreational and commercial fisheries have been delayed by one year and will now become effective on Dec. 1, 2025.   The N.C. General Assembly recently passed Session Law 2024-45, which, in part, amends legislation from last fall that would have implemented the harvest reporting requirements on Dec. 1, 2024.   This extension will allow the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) to engage with stakeholders, not only to inform them about the requirements, but also to ensure that the reporting process and tool(s) are robust and user-friendly.   The legislation from last fall requires that any person who recreationally harvests Red Drum, flounder, Spotted Seatrout (speckled trout), Striped Bass and Weakfish (gray trout) must report that harvest to the DMF. This requirement applies to fish harvested from coastal fishing waters, joint fishing waters and inland fishing waters adjacent to coastal or joint fishing waters.   Additionally, the law requires anyone holding a commercial fishing license who is engaged in a commercial fishing operation to report all fish harvested to DMF, regardless of sale.   More information, including links to temporary rules to implement the laws, can be found on the Mandatory Harvest Reporting webpage at https://www.deq.nc.gov/mandatory-harvest-reporting. The webpage will continue to be updated as new information becomes available.
For More Information:   DMF Contact: Patricia Smith Phone: 252-515-5500   https://www.deq.nc.gov/dmf   P.O. Box 769, 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City N.C. 28577 WRC Contact: Fairley Mahlum Phone: 919-707-0180   https://www.ncwildlife.org 1701 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1700     NC Division of Marine Fisheries | 3441 Arendell Street | Morehead City, NC 28557 US   Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice
July 12, 2024 e-mail from NCDMF dmfnews@deq.nc.gov

TAKE NOTE THAT NONE OF THE HYPERLINKS ARE “HOT.” IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW A HYPERLINK, “COPY & PASTE” INTO YOUR BROWSER SEARCH BAR.

🎣