Part of Core Sound closes to gill net fishing today

The southern portion of Core Sound will close to flounder gill net fishing today to protect threatened and endangered sea turtles.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries issued a proclamation Thursday that prohibits the use of large-mesh gill nets (4-inch to 6.5-inch stretch mesh, inclusive) in Core Sound and its tributaries between Drum Inlet and the east end of Harkers Island. The closure begins one hour after sunrise Friday and will remain in effect until further notice, a division news release said.

The official regulation can be found on the division website at ncfisheries.net.

Core Sound reopened Wednesday to large-mesh gill net fishing after it was closed June 28 due to sea turtle interactions. In these first overnight hours, division observers witnessed interactions with one live Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle and one live loggerhead sea turtle.

The turtles were caught in separate nets set near Ophelia Inlet, which was formed by Hurricane Ophelia in 2005, about three miles south of Drum Inlet.

“Southern Core Sound has been the main problem area for interactions with sea turtles since the division began a statewide sea turtle observer program in May,” said division Director Louis Daniel via the news release. “The intent of closing this area is to prolong the Core Sound flounder gill net fishery in waters north of Drum Inlet, where few interactions have occurred.”

Northern Core Sound will remain open under restrictions implemented as part of a lawsuit settlement agreement with the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. 

Under these restrictions, fishermen who set large-mesh gill nets (4-inch to 6.5-inch stretch mesh, inclusive) must use low-profile nets of no more than 15 meshes in height. The nets may be set only on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights, no sooner than one hour before sunset each night, and retrieved no later than one hour after sunrise the following morning. Fishermen must use a lead core or leaded bottom line, but they may not use cork, floats or other buoys, except those required for identification.

The regulations limit fishermen to 100-yard sets with at least 25 yards between the separate lengths of net. Fishermen may not use more than a total of 2,000 yards of large mesh gill net per vessel.

The restrictions will not apply to run-around, strike or drop nets that are used to surround a school of fish and then are immediately retrieved.

For more information, contact David Taylor, division Fisheries Management Section chief, at 252-808-8074 or David.L.Taylor@ncdenr.gov.