DMF biologists feel the recovery of several species is due to intensive management of a number of species in the past few years.
Stocks listed as stressed-declining include southern flounder, reef fish, American shad, and sharks.
Black sea bass north of Hatteras, river herring in the Albemarle Sound, scup and oysters are listed as depressed. The DMF does not have enough data to make a reasonable determination on the health of some stocks. These fall into the unknown category. Those species include catfish, sea mullet, striped mullet, red drum outside of Pamilco Sound, river herring outside of Albemarle Sound, dogfish sharks, striped bass in waters other than the ocean, Albemarle and Roanoke sounds, white perch, hard clams and blue crabs. The 1997 licenses will be valid until midnight on July 31, but after that date you must have a 1998 license if you are engaging in a commercial fishing activity.