NCDMF Red Drum



DMF Home	About DMF	Contact DMF	DMF Offices

MANAGEMENT
The declining status of red drum led the Division of Marine Fisheries, in 1998, to begin preparing a management strategy to guide the recovery of this important species. Harvest restrictions were implemented to begin stabilizing the stock until a fisheries management plan (FMP) could be developed.

Drum at Cape Hatteras In April 2001, the Marine Fisheries Commission approved the Red Drum FMP, charting a course for recovery of North Carolina's official saltwater fish. One major cornerstone of the FMP was to prohibit a directed commercial fishery, only allowing red drum to be taken as bycatch in other fisheries.

Highlights of the FMP:

Establish a commercial fishing year, Sept. 1 - Aug. 31, with a 7-fish trip limit to ensure a bycatch fishery;

Require attendance of commercial gill net less than 5 inches from May - Oct. in certain areas to allow release of red drum;

Prohibit possession/sale of red drum larger than 27 inches allowing older fish to spawn and reproduce;

Prohibit gigging of red drum to avoid targeting;

Commercial catches must have at least 50 percent of other species by weight to avoid targeting and ensure a bycatch fishery;

Set recreational harvest limit at 1 fish per day between 18 - 27 inches to limit impact on stocks; and

Establish proclamation authority to allow DMF director to set harvest restrictions for red drum to allow faster response to changes in the fishery.

As a result of these proactive management measures, the outlook is now good for red drum. Although the stock is listed as overfished, several strong year classes continue to make their way into the spawning stock - a very encouraging sign.

View current recreational size and catch limits.

Back to the first Red Drum page