Knowing the total number of fishermen we have, both commercial and recreational, and the amount of fish they are catching, is a critical component in properly managing our state’s fisheries. Without accurate statistics, managing our fisheries is like trying to balance a checkbook without knowing the number of checks that have been written or the amount of money in the account.

Reliable statistics from recreational fishermen are essential to determine the impact of recreational fishing on North Carolina fish stocks. In fact, the DMF is required by law to develop fishery management plans based on the best available data for all of the state’s significant fisheries. With more complete recreational statistics, fishery management plans will be greatly enhanced.

Quite often anglers feel that their individual catch does not impact our fish stocks, but that is simply not the case. In North Carolina, we have 9,232 licensed commercial fishermen, compared to an estimated 1.1 million to 1.5 million recreational saltwater anglers. Harvest statistics are gathered for 29 species of fish that are caught by both recreational and commercial fishermen in Tar Heel waters. The DMF estimates that recreational anglers harvested 33 percent (18 million pounds) of those 29 species in 1999. Even though the number of recreational fishermen and their harvest is an estimate, you can see they do have a significant effect on our valuable fisheries.

As North Carolina’s coastal population grows and as recreational fishing continues to increase in popularity and participation, the biological impacts to our fish stocks will also continue to intensify. Since recreational anglers play a significant role in the harvest of our fisheries, we need to better understand the impact they have on the resource and the economic significance of their sport. The best way this information can accurately be captured is through a saltwater recreational fishing license.