May 26, 2014 — The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission decided Thursday to open gill net fishing for the first time this year on June 1. An overharvest of red drum fish last fall carried forward penalties into this season.
Norris and his wife missed all of May, one of the prime months for flounder fishing, losing thousands of dollars in income, he said. His medical bills total more than $100,000 a year, exceeding the retirement income and health benefits he has had since leaving the Ford plant 14 years ago.
"When they tell me I can't fish, they give me a death sentence," Norris said.
North Carolina is one of a few coastal states that allow widespread gill net fishing. Recreational groups such as the Coastal Conservation Association want a ban on gill net fishing in North Carolina because endangered sea turtles and game fish such as red drum, speckled trout and striped bass get entrapped and die in the mesh.
Recreational and commercial fishing interests have a long-running – and at times heated – debate over what statistics show.
North Carolina's recreational fishing haul is among the best in the country. The state ranks fourth in the nation in recreational fishing harvest and third in number of angler trips, according to statistics collected by the National Marine Fisheries Service and provided by North Carolina Sea Grant. Red drum harvest was the highest in 2013, according to state statistics.
"We're doing so well in recreational angling even with these fishing gears," said Sara Mirabilio, a fisheries specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant.
Read the full story at the Virginian-Pilot