Momentum in North Carolina: Proactive Albie Management in Progress

False albacore have been getting a lot of attention lately. Oftentimes when you see a news release on fisheries management, it is based on poor circumstances. Thankfully, the story of little tunny in North Carolina is anything but. The most recent meeting in the Tar Heel State resulted in a landslide of support for guardrail management, the first of its kind for any state with regards to this fishery.

Here is a quick recap of what happened at the previous meeting:

On August 23rd of 2024, the NC Marine Fisheries Commission made a decision on rule making for false albacore management. The proposed rule (15A NCAC 03M .0523) would authorize regulatory actions if albacore landings exceed sustainable thresholds, a move that promises lasting benefits for both the species and the fishing community. As a reminder, albie supporters made noise about this rulemaking proposal. Of nearly 230 comments submitted, almost 75% of those were directed at albie management. Of the nearly 170 albie comments, 99.5% were positive comments in support of management. There was only 1 single comment in opposition. The turnout of support by advocates in the digital comment window was undeniable – and that comment tsunami translated into a unanimous vote (9-0-0) to pass step 2 of this process. 

The most recent North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission meeting on October 30th saw a tremendous turnout from our community advocating for false albacore management. Advocates delivered well-informed, compelling comments about why proactive albie management is essential for ecological and economic sustainability. This show of unity highlighted the immense power of public participation in fisheries policy. During the meeting, stakeholders underscored the importance of sustainable false albacore populations and the opportunity to set an example for the rest of the coast. Below are a few public comment hightlights:

Captain Terry Nugent, a light tackle guide who has been guiding between Cape Cod and Moorhead city for the past 26 years emphasized the economic impact of false albacore:

 “…Every year, I come down here and rent a house for two months and entertain clients, hundreds every year. Their primary goal is to come down here and utilize the amazing false albacore fishery. I’ve worked hand in hand with many of the prior speakers. I’d like to echo their sentiment. The economic benefit can’t be understated. My clients come down. They love the local restaurants. They fly and utilize the airports, car services. Again, I rent a home down here, from a local lady, and the fishery is fantastic. We’re currently tagging [fish] down here, my clients just love it. We wanna make sure that the fishery continues…’

Captain John Mauser, a local guide running his business Tailing Tide Guide Charters, stressed the sheer volume of people who specifically flood the area to chase false albacore:

“On average, I’m running about two hundred charters a year, but from late September through the end of November each year, it’s about a hundred percent false albacore charters for fly and light tackle. And believe it or not, in these sixty days straight of fishing, that accounts for about forty percent of my income. And I have anglers from as far as Canada, California, Texas, and Washington state that come to fish with me. The guys I fished today, they’re from Washington State and they’re staying here for two months, renting a house in Beaufort. They are paying for rental cars, for restaurants, grocery stores, and their wives are shopping… I would guess that our average angler is spending anywhere from a thousand to thirteen hundred dollars per day in our coastal communities from Nags Head to Wilmington… And you multiply that by two to three anglers per boat by sixty days a year in the fall, and by all the guides from Nags Head to Cape Lookout to Wilmington. It really starts to add up. […] Whether it’s a commercial fisherman who’s currently fishing for them, a fishing guide, or a recreational angler. It gives that space for them to grow. And if they wanna harvest fish, that’s fine, but it protects us from some type of catastrophic event that could happen in the future.”

As most fishermen from the East Coast can attest from living through the ups and downs of striped bass management, proactive measures to protect other species are warmly welcomed. Dan Holmes, a guide and recreational angler on Nantucket Island, echoed his support for the preemptive measures:

“I’m an avid angler and guide on Nantucket. The false albacore run is paramount to our fishery up here, especially with the concerns around the striped bass. Albies really keep things going. I am in full support, and I find that, you know, any measures for any fish are crucial. So, with false albacore getting a lot of attention, more and more every year, I really appreciate everyone on your end getting ahead of this. Looking forward to seeing the benefits of these actions.”

Recreational angler Kevin Prather highlighted how these fish have truly galvanized the community. Not just the local community in North Carolina, but the fishing community across the country:   

“I’m a recreational angler currently in Texas, once upon a time in North Carolina. I’m very, very proud to be here with all y’all and very proud that North Carolina is holding this space and considering a very proactive evidence based measure that will have an impact up and down the coast. You know, the writing’s on the wall that something needs to be done with albies.That’s why this is so important, and it’s so great seeing folks from all over the place come in here to voice their support. And there’s such a strong community behind this as well. You know, I’ve never met Blane Chocklett, but I fish his flies. I’ve never met Luyen, but I’m familiar with the Got One app. I’ve never met Captain Mauser, but I’ll be damned if I don’t bug him via email and talk to him about podcast episodes. Very ironically, Scotty Davis–I’m sitting here at my tying bench, tying redfish flies that I learned how to tie from a video of him on YouTube. I’ve never met any of these folks. So what I’m getting at here is that you’ve got this very strong passionate community. The culture behind this goes back decades and decades. The country is watching. And we’re all very proud of what’s going on here. We can talk about the economic impacts. We can talk about what it means to us personally. At the end of the day, it’s just the right thing to do and we need to begin living as part of this planet instead of just simply extracting resources from it.”

No better words could have summarized this management campaign. The voices of the albie community were heard. The widespread and positive responses from the public were instrumental in steering the commission toward progressive, science-based decisions for the future of false albacore, emphasizing that public involvement remains a crucial tool in securing sustainable fisheries management. The real stars of this whole process are the fine folks on the NCMFC for leading the charge and setting the precedent for all other states to follow. This kind of leadership is bold and we will be so proud to see proactive measures put in place for this amazing fishery. The next step in this rule making takes place next in December.