Division of Marine Fisheries accepting Gulf Flounder carcass donations; participants may win prizes

The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Marine Fisheries will collect Gulf Flounder carcasses from recreational fishermen during the 2026 spring season, held March 9-22 in ocean waters from Portsmouth Island to the South Carolina line. The carcasses will be used for research purposes.

Recreational anglers who donate their legally harvested Gulf Flounder carcass and complete the required catch-card (one person per fish, per card) will be entered to win one of five tackle bags filled with fishing gear and other goodies (limit one prize per person). Catch-cards and donation supplies are located at each donation site, and anglers must complete the entire catch-card legibly, completely and truthfully to be eligible.

The Division’s Carcass Collection Program has set up eight freezer locations where recreational fishermen can donate their flounder carcasses.

The donation sites are:

• Cape Pointe Marina, 1390 Island Rd., Harkers Island
• Chasin Tails Outdoors Bait & Tackle, 709 Atlantic Beach Causeway, Atlantic Beach
• N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries Headquarters, 3441 Arendell St., Morehead City
• Pelagic Hunter, 104 James St., Sneads Ferry
• Tex’s Tackle, 215 Old Eastwood Rd., Wilmington
• Carolina Beach Municipal Docks, Carl Winner Drive, Carolina Beach
• Clem’s Seafood, 4351 Long Beach Rd. SE, Southport
• Ocean Isle Fishing Center, 65 Causeway Dr., Ocean Isle Beach

When cleaning the fish, anglers should leave the head and tail intact and, if possible, not remove the guts/reproductive organs. Anglers who fished on a charter boat or head boat should let the fish cleaner know the carcass will be donated.

Division biologists will measure the fish, determine the sex when possible, and remove the otoliths (ear bones) to determine the age of the fish. The information collected will be used to improve our understanding of Gulf Flounder in North Carolina.    

The 2026 recreational Gulf Flounder season officially opens at 12:01 a.m. March 9 and closes at 11:59 p.m. on March 22. Anglers may keep one fish per person per day. The minimum size limit is 15 inches total length. If Gulf Flounder are harvested in federal waters and brought back to North Carolina, they must meet North Carolina’s season, size and possession limits. For more specific information, see Proclamation FF-13-2026. For more information about North Carolina’s Carcass Collection program, contact Amanda Macek, Division sportfishing specialist, at 252-515-5537 or amanda.macek@deq.nc.gov.

Information on how to identify a Gulf Flounder from a Summer Flounder or a Southern Flounder can be found on the Division’s  Flounder Identification webpage. Other information can be found on the Spring Gulf Flounder Season Frequently Asked Questions page.

As a reminder, donated carcasses still must be reported to the Division under a new state law that requires anglers to report their harvest of flounder, Striped Bass, Spotted Seatrout (Speckled Trout), Weakfish (Gray Trout) and Red Drum . Learn more about this harvest reporting requirement.

An announcement pertaining to a fall fishing season will occur later this year.