Commercial fishermen can mark their calendars after state officials announced the official opening dates for the 2026 estuarine flounder harvest season.
The North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries says opening dates will depend on location and equipment type to help keep harvests within strict environmental quotas. Pound net zones north of the Pamlico Sound will open first on Tuesday, September 15. Central and southern pound net areas will open on Wednesday, September 30.
For fishermen using mobile gear, large-mesh gill nets will open on a heavily restricted schedule of just 1 day per week starting September 30. All other mobile gears will open 7 days a week starting that same day.
State officials are keeping a 15-inch minimum size limit on all flounder. Dealers are required to report catches daily, and the state warns that regional closures will be announced by proclamation as soon as quotas are reached.
