North Carolina Lawmakers Are Trying To Kill the State’s Booming Shrimp Industry
North Carolina lawmakers are advancing a bill that would kill the state’s shrimping industry.
On Thursday, the state Senate voted on House Bill 442, which had recently been passed by the state’s House of Representatives to expand the recreational fishing season for southern flounder and red snapper and establish a pilot program to restore their populations. Both species had their seasons shortened in 2024 because they were considered overfished by state agencies, despite local fishermen arguing otherwise.
Leading up to the vote, an amendment was added to the bill that would restrict trawling for shrimp—a fishing method that involves mechanically dragging a large net close to the seabed—in inland waters and within half a mile of the coast. Those found violating the trawling ban would be charged with a class A1 misdemeanor, which carries a maximum punishment of 150 days of “active, intermediate or community punishment” and a fine subject to a judge’s discretion.
The measure, and the bill, passed on its third reading with a 39–2 vote. The two dissenting votes came from senators representing coastal counties. Other coastal senators who had previously voted against the amendment voted “absent.” The bill now heads back to the House and, if passed, will go into effect December 1.
The impacts of the legislation could be potentially devastating to the state’s commercial seafood industry, which contributed nearly $300 million to North Carolina’s economy in 2021 while supporting over 5,000 jobs. Nearly 75 percent of the state’s shrimp is caught in the waters that this bill would close off.
State Rep. Keith Kidwell (R–Washington) tells Reason that the bill would wreck the local economies in his district, which comprises a large share of the state’s coastline, including the Outer Banks barrier islands. “In my district, there are literally thousands of people who work in the fishing industry.”
Some lawmakers have suggested that shrimpers will be able to adjust to the bill by moving their operations offshore. Kidwell
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