GOAL: Restore or Maintain Fisheries and Provide for Their Long-Term, Sustainable Use, Both Commercial and Recreational.
The A/P Sounds region not only provides important habitat for the production of fishery resources, it also supports several fishing industries. Recreational and commercial fishermen use an assortment of gear and methods to pursue a variety of species, and a greater demand for fisheries products and recreational fishing opportunities has resulted in increased fishing pressure.
Downward trends in commercial landings of finfish species may indicate declining stocks. The overall catch per unit effort is declining despite improvements in fishing gear and methods. Eight commercially and recreationally important species of finfish and shellfish are believed to be overfished or severely depleted including: Atlantic croaker, Atlantic sturgeon, Eastern oyster, red drum, striped bass, summer flounder, weakfish and herring.
Fisheries declines may be attributed to a variety of factors including habitat loss, physical damage, natural events and cycles, excessive harvest pressure, changes in stream flows, and water quality degradation. In general, however, overfishing is believed to be a major cause of declines in catch.
The bycatch and waste of non-target organisms is also believed to have a significant impact on important finfish stocks including spot, croaker, weakfish, southern flounder, and summer flounder although this impact is difficult to assess.
Fisheries which may present a bycatch problem include the shrimp fishery, menhaden purse seine fishery, the gill net fishery, and the blue crab fishery in the estuarine waters of North Carolina.
