NORTH CAROLINA DIVISION OF MARINE FISHERIES
Annual Fisheries Bulletin
2016 Commercial and Recreational Statistics
License and Statistics Section, PO Box 769, Morehead City, NC 28557
May 2017
The Annual Fisheries Bulletin contains the North Carolina commercial and recreational fisheries harvest statistics for 201 6.
Included in this bulletin are the 2016 landings and harvest information from the commercial and recreational fisheries
programs, along with the 2012 to 201 5 landings for comparison. The bulletin also contains a summary of commercial fishing
trips by major gears.
The North Carolina Trip Ticket Program collects commercial fishery landings and effort statistics. This program mandates
trip level fish dealer reporting of all finfish and shellfish landed in the state. Recreational fishery harvest and effort statistics
are derived from the Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) that conducts recreational angler interviews at public
access points and telephone/mail surveys.
Total Pounds Harvested in 2016
Commercial
Recreational
59,928,328 pounds
12,198,455 pounds
Top Five Species Caught in Each Fishery
Commercial
Species
Pounds
Blue Crabs, Hard
24,728,819
Shrimp (Heads On)
13,191,155
Dogfish, Spiny
2,271,201
Croaker, Atlantic
2,092,135
Flounder, Summer
2,066,026
Recreational
Species
Pounds
Dolphin
2,757,490
Tuna, Yellowfin
2,264,871
Bluefish
862,558
Seatrout, Spotted
688,682
Wahoo
640,807
Issued by the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, Department of Environmental Quality.
For additional information regarding Commercial and Recreational Statistics, please contact:
Alan Bianchi, Commercial Statistics
(252) 726-7021 or (800) 682-2632
alan.bianchi@ncdenr.gov
Chris Wilson, Recreational Statistics
(252) 948-3876 or (800) 338-7804
chris.wilson@ncdenr.gov
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