The North Carolina Department of Marine Fisheries has issued Notice M-9-25, effective 12:01 a.m. April 20, 2025, prohibiting the use of gillnets with a draw length of less than four inches in inland coastal and combined fishery waters south of Administrative Unit A, except as described in Parts II and IV.
       Section 2 adds new text: “Except as provided in section 4, it is unlawful to use a gillnet with a draw length of less than 4 inches in the inland coastal and combined fishery waters of Administrative Unit D1 (Northern and Southern Subdivisions).”
       For additional restrictions on the use of gillnets in the southern portion of Administrative Unit A, see the latest Type M Bulletin, which applies to gillnets with a draw length of 4 to 6 ½ inches.
       The purpose of this regulation is to manage gillnet fisheries to ensure compliance with incidental take permits for endangered and threatened sea turtles and sturgeon. The boundaries of Management Units B, C, and D1 (including subunits) have been adjusted to align with the boundaries specified in the new incidental take permits for turtles and sturgeon.