Recreational Black Sea Bass Season Opens May 1 North of Cape Hatteras with Liberalized Regulations
Summary
The NC DEQ Marine Fisheries Division announces the recreational Black Sea Bass season opening May 1, 2026, in state waters north of Cape Hatteras. New regulations set a 13-inch minimum size limit and 15-fish daily bag limit with a season running May 1 through December 31. These liberalized rules reflect a coastwide 20% regulatory liberalization adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission for 2026 and 2027.
What changed
The 2026 recreational Black Sea Bass season in North Carolina state waters north of Cape Hatteras opens May 1 with liberalized regulations: 13-inch minimum size, 15-fish daily bag limit, and a season running May 1 through December 31. These regulations represent a coastwide liberalization of up to 20% adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, making the North Carolina season 23 days longer than 2025.
Recreational anglers fishing in North Carolina state waters north of Cape Hatteras must comply with the state regulations (13-inch/15-fish) which currently differ from federal waters (15-inch/5-fish). The state anticipates federal regulations will align later this year. Anglers south of Cape Hatteras are subject to separate South Atlantic Fishery Management Council regulations. For full details, anglers should reference Proclamation FF-24-2026.
Archived snapshot
Apr 17, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
AddToAny share buttons
Share to:
MOREHEAD CITY Apr 16, 2026 The recreational Black Sea Bass fishing season will open May 1 in North Carolina waters north of Cape Hatteras.
The following provisions will apply to state waters (0-3 nautical miles from shore) north of Cape Hatteras:
Size Limit: Minimum 13 inches total length (tip of the snout to the tip of the tail, excluding the filament at the end of the tail)
Bag Limit: 15 fish per person, per day
Season: May 1- Dec. 31
The state regulations currently differ from those in federal waters (3-200 nautical miles from shore) due to delays in the federal rulemaking process that will align regulations in federal waters with those for state waters. The Division anticipates this change will occur later this year.
The following regulations currently apply to federal waters north of Cape Hatteras:
Size Limit: Minimum 15 inches total length
Bag Limit: 5 fish per person, per day
Season: May 15- Sept. 8
Those who possess Black Sea Bass in North Carolina waters must meet the state size limit, regardless of the harvest location.
The recreational Black Sea Bass fishery north of Cape Hatteras is managed by the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. The management changes are the result of a coastwide liberalization of up to 20% for recreational black sea bass regulations adopted by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission for 2026 and 2027. For North Carolina, north of Cape Hatteras in 2026, the season is 23 days longer than in 2025. In 2027, the season will open on April 1, which will be 53 days longer than in 2025.
The recreational Black Sea Bass fishery south of Cape Hatteras is managed by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. The current regulations south of Cape Hatteras are:
Size Limit: Minimum 13 inches total length
Bag Limit: 7 fish per person per day
Season: Begins April 1 each year and closes when the quota is met. The season is currently open.
For more specific regulations on Black Sea Bass, see Proclamation FF-24-2026 for North of Cape Hatteras or Proclamation FF-21-2026 for South of Cape Hatteras at Fisheries Management Proclamations | NC DEQ.
For more information, contact Chris Batsavage at 252-241-2995 or Chris.Batsavage@deq.nc.gov.
Related Topics:
Contact
Patricia Smith Tricia.Smith@deq.nc.gov (252) 515-5500
Related changes
Get daily alerts for NC DEQ Press Releases
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from NC DEQ.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when NC DEQ Press Releases publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.