North Carolina Opens Comment Period on Atlantic Bonito Bag Limit

The North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission has opened the public comment period on a proposed rule that would set a five-fish recreational bag limit for Atlantic bonito. The rule would also authorize the Division of Marine Fisheries Director to implement additional management measures by proclamation, but only with prior consent of the Commission.

This is a straightforward and overdue step. Right now, North Carolina has no bag limit, no size limit, and no management framework for Atlantic bonito. Recreational landings have been rising, and the state accounts for a meaningful portion of the coastwide harvest. Leaving a popular and increasingly targeted species completely unregulated is not sustainable management.

The proposed five-fish limit is modest. Most anglers are not keeping that many fish on a typical trip, so the immediate impact on harvest will be limited. At the same time, the rule creates a permanent baseline and gives managers a tool to respond if conditions change. That combination of a clear starting point and the ability to act quickly is the kind of common sense approach we need more of along the Atlantic coast.

Massachusetts already put regulations in place for bonito and false albacore. North Carolina moving forward helps protect a shared resource instead of waiting for a formal stock assessment that may never come. We have watched too many fisheries decline while managers waited for perfect data. This is a chance to get ahead of the problem.

A public hearing will be held by WebEx on August 26 at 6:00 p.m., with a listening location at the Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office in Morehead City. Written comments are due by 5:00 p.m. on October 2. The Commission is expected to take final action in November. If approved, the earliest the rule could take effect is 2027.

We support this proposed rule and urge anglers, guides, and anyone who values these fisheries to submit comments in favor of it. The official comment form, hearing registration, and full text of the proposed rule are available on the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2026-2027 Proposed Rules page.

These fish matter. Showing up in the comment period is how we keep them around. Below are the details from the state with access links:

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“The public may join the meeting online.  Those who wish to comment during the hearing must register to speak by noon on the day of the hearing. Those who wish to speak at the listening location may sign up when they arrive.“

WHO:	Marine Fisheries Commission
WHAT:	Public Hearing for Proposed Rules
WHEN:	Aug. 26, 2026, at 6 p.m.
WHERE:	Meeting by Web Conference Click Here for Links
LISTENING LOCATION:	NC Division of Marine Fisheries Central District Office 5285 Highway 70 West Morehead City, NC 28557

Written Comments Members of the public may also submit written comments through an online form or through the mail to:

N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission Rules Comments P.O. Box 769 Morehead City, N.C. 28557

Comments must be posted online or received by DMF by 5 p.m. Oct. 2, 2026.

Links to the public hearing registration form and online comment form, as well as text of the proposed rule and links to join the meeting, can be found on the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission’s 2026-2027 Proposed Rules Webpage.                                       

The proposed rule will be presented to the MFC for final approval in November 2026. If approved, the earliest effective date of the rule would be in 2027 pending legislative review.