2019 Independent Study of NC Fisheries

Let's go back to the year 2019.  For my entire life I had heard that commercial fishing was abusing our fisheries resources.  Many people would say things like "they're catching all the fish" or "I guess the commercial guys caught'em all".  But after almost 10 years in the seafood business, and being around commercial guys often, it certainly didn't seem like that to me.  It comes as a surprise to most, but there just aren't that many commercial fishermen in NC (less than 2,000 in 2025)...and there are consistently roughly half a million licensed recreational anglers in our state (my family owns 4 of those licenses!).   

Fisheries managers in our state typically identify two user groups that utilize the seafood resource...commercial and recreational.  And there is abundant fisheries data on the internet for many states that is relatively easily accessible to the general public. So, in 2019 (before AI), I took it upon myself to sit down and analyze the data from multiple states to determine once and for all which user group is indeed harvesting the most fish in NC.  But, I also wanted to compare our data and fisheries to other states...states that have effectively eliminated net fisheries in inshore waters.    

Full disclaimer...I am not an expert on data analytics or a statistician, but I did take a high level statistics course in college!  So, I know just enough to be dangerous.  I'm really just an average citizen with a natural resource background that wanted to analyze data to understand the impacts to our fisheries.  This is an independent study and not peer reviewed science, but I do feel pretty good about my analysis.  Enjoy!  

Click to download reports (PDF)

Part 1: Examining Florida Fisheries

Part 2: Examining NC Fisheries

Part 3: Comparing Recreational Fisheries Data Throughout the Southeast U.S.

Part 4: Examining North Carolina’s Commercial Fishing Industry and its relationship to User Groups