Giving Managers Information
Results from Sea Grant-sponsored research have been used to make fisheries management decisions for species such as southern flounder.
Collaborative state-funded research projects, administered by North Carolina Sea Grant, have generated results that have been directly incorporated into state fishery management activities, including for southern flounder and oysters.
Cooperative research focused in southern flounder, a valuable inshore finfish resource, addressed the need for additional data on age at maturity. Researchers developed models that can provide accurate estimates of fish maturity, needed for more accurate stock assessments. These data have been integrated into information that the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries is using to update the southern flounder fishery management plan.
North Carolina is investing in reef restoration efforts to address the decline of the oyster population in the state. Based on Sea Grant-supported research, the state has begun to move toward using concrete-based materials for reef restoration to support enhanced oyster production.