| Summary: | In North Carolina, the southern flounder (Paralichyths lethostigma) fishery is one of the most valuable finfish fisheries in the state. A large portion of this fishery occurs during the fall (September 15 to December 15) in the southeastern area of Pamlico Sound, North Carolina, and is conducted with gillnets. The increase in the number of gillnets employed in this fishery has begun to raise concerns among fishery managers and conservationists. These concerns include the reputation that gillnets have for catching large amounts of bycatch, an increase in the number of stranded sea turtles in the area during the southern flounder fall gillnet season, the incidental take of seabirds during gillnet operations and the incidental capture of red drum in southern flounder gillnets. This study was conducted during the 2000 and 2001 fall southern flounder season to determine the impacts of gillnets on sea turtles, seabirds, red drum, other finfish and invertebrates in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. The purpose of this study is to examine the catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of the target (southern flounder) and bycatch species that is occurring in the southern flounder gillnet fishery of southeastern Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. It is hypothesized that the CPUE of the target and bycatch species will differ between the two areas (deep and shallow), the halves of the fishing season, gear parameters, soak time and gear configurations. The objectives of this study are: 1) To characterize the bycatch composition and distribution that is occurring in the southern flounder gillnet fishery, 2) To test experimental gillnet configurations in an effort to reduce bycatch (emphasis on sea turtle bycatch) without reducing target catch in the deep area of the fishery, and 3) To suggest reasonable and prudent regulations for the fishery. The sea turtle bycatch was mostly composed of juveniles and subadults Kemp's ridley, green and loggerhead turtles. The majority of the finfish bycatch was composed of Atlantic menhaden and weakfish. ...
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