North Carolina Fishing Regulations: Offshore Species Rules

North Carolina fishing regulations change at the 3-mile line, and the Gulf Stream runs close enough off Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout that most offshore trips cross it. This page covers fishing in North Carolina under two rule sets, state and federal. It identifies which agency writes each one and lists the size, bag, season and gear rules for each offshore species. The chart layers show where the ledges and the Gulf Stream edge sit; they are not for navigation.

North Carolina Fishing Official Government Organizations

State waters, called Coastal Fishing Waters, run from shore to 3 miles. NCDMF defines the ocean boundary as the water seaward of the COLREGS Demarcation Lines. Federal waters run from 3 to 200 miles. Black sea bass rules split at Cape Hatteras, 35°15.3′ N. State limits apply to fish you possess in state waters, and you cannot take both the state and the federal bag limit of the same species on one trip. A vessel with a federal commercial or for-hire snapper-grouper permit follows federal closures in state waters too. Federal rules differ by region and state, so check the rules for other U.S. waters before you cross a line. Rules change by proclamation and federal notice, so check the agency page before you fish.

• NC Division of Marine Fisheries – The state agency in Morehead City, where the Fisheries Director sets seasons, sizes and bag limits for federally and interstate managed species by proclamation. Anyone 16 or older who takes finfish in coastal waters needs a Coastal Recreational Fishing License, which covers finfish only. A licensed ocean pier or a blanket-licensed for-hire vessel covers its patrons. The annual license is $20 resident or $40 nonresident, and the 10-day license is $9 or $15; see the Coastal Recreational Fishing License details.
• NC Marine Fisheries Commission – Adopts the state’s coastal fishing rules (15A NCAC 03).
• South Atlantic Fishery Management Council – Writes the federal snapper-grouper, dolphin-wahoo and coastal migratory pelagic rules off North Carolina, which sit in 50 CFR part 622. See the South Atlantic Council regulations.
• NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office – Implements the federal rules and announces seasonal and quota closures. See the South Atlantic seasonal closures.
• NOAA Fisheries Atlantic HMS – Manages tunas, billfish, swordfish and sharks, and issues the HMS permit. See the Atlantic HMS permit portal.
• Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council – Manages black sea bass north of Cape Hatteras.
• Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission – Manages Atlantic cobia, with federal-waters rules in 50 CFR part 697.
• NC Wildlife Resources Commission – Sells licenses and regulates inland waters only.

North Carolina Offshore Fishing Regulations by Species

Offshore regulations in North Carolina come from two sources. South of Cape Hatteras, the South Atlantic Council manages snapper-grouper, dolphin, wahoo and mackerel, and the fish you chase on South Atlantic offshore fishing trips follow those rules here. The snapper-grouper gear rules are the same everywhere, so each species below says "standard snapper-grouper gear rules apply." Under the federal snapper-grouper gear rules, a dehooking tool must be ready for use, as must a descending device with at least a 16-ounce weight on at least 60 feet of line. Use non-offset, non-stainless circle hooks with natural bait, and keep fish with head and fins intact. The aggregate is three groupers and tilefish combined per person per day. The snapper aggregate is 10 fish. Porgies, jacks, grunts and spadefish combine to 20, with no more than 10 of one species. The South Cape Lookout Spawning SMZ is closed to snapper-grouper fishing year-round, and anchoring is prohibited. Tunas, billfish, swordfish and sharks need a federal Atlantic HMS permit in state and federal waters; blackfin tuna, Atlantic bonito and little tunny are excluded. Private anglers need no federal permit for snapper-grouper, dolphin-wahoo or mackerel, but for-hire vessels need one per fishery.

Cobia

Cobia must be 36 inches fork length, with a limit of 1 per person per day. Off North Carolina, the more restrictive state vessel limit applies.

• Length36 inches fork length.
• Bag limit1 per person per day. State waters, private vessel: 2 per vessel per day from May 1 to June 30 with two or more aboard, or 1 with one person aboard, and 1 per vessel per day from July 1 to December 31. State waters, for-hire vessel: 4 per vessel per day, or 1 per person if fewer than 4 people are aboard. Federal waters: 6 per vessel per day, with the more restrictive NC limit applying.
• SeasonMay 1 to December 31. It is unlawful to possess cobia outside that window.
• Gear and permitsKeep fish with head and fins intact. A for-hire vessel needs the CMP permit. The two-day bag rule applies to for-hire trips over 24 hours.

Official rules: NCDMF proclamations.