Fisheries Research Reports

Fisheries research reports are technical in scope and provide an in-depth, scientific approach to address a suite of questions about our fisheries and habitat to inform management decisions for our agency. Our fisheries research is based on sound science and supported through the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration. Note: all reports open as PDFs in separate window. 

 NCWRC-Trout-Report-Final

2024 - Town Creek Sport Fish Survey (8-page Final Report)

2024 - Chowan River Largemouth Bass Survey (6-page Final Report)

2023 - Lockwood Folly River Sport Fish Survey (7-page Final Report)

2023 - Roanoke River Striped Bass Spawning Stock Assessment (7-page Final Report)

2023 - Lumber River Angler Creel Survey (38-page Final Report)

2023 - Sport Fish Assessment at Sutton Lake (23-page Final Report)

2023 - American Shad in the Roanoke River (21-page Final Report)

2023 - Trent River Sport Fish and Catfish Survey, 2022 (10-page Final Report)

2023 -  American Shad Genetic Analysis, 2021 (9-page Final Report)

2023 -  Contentnea Creek Fish Survey Following a Reported Fish Kill, 2022 (8-page Final Report)

2023 -  American Shad Genetics Analysis, 2022 (10-page Final Report)

2023 -  Fisheries Resources of Lake Waccamaw (19-page Final Report)

2022 -  Suitability of live-imaging sonar as an index of American Shad relative abundance (8-page Final Report)

2022 -  Assessment of Fisheries Resources in South River (15-page Final Report)

2022 -  American Shad Monitoring in the Neuse River, 2021 (15-page Final Report)

2022 - Tar River Largemouth Bass Survey, 2021 (4-page Final Report)

2022 -  Fisheries Resources in New River (Onslow County), 2021 (6-page Final Report)

2022 -  Neuse River Striped Bass Monitoring Program, 2020 (16-page Final Report)

2022 - Black River Fisheries Resources, 2020 (7-page Final Report)

2022 - Status of Alewife and Blueback Herring in the Neuse River, 2021 (13-page Final Report)

2021-2014 Reports

2021 - Movement of Largemouth Bass at Lake Mattamuskeet (22-page Final Report)

2021 - Cape Fear River Striped Bass Spawning Stock Survey - 2018 (6-page Final Report)

2021 - Fisheries Resources of the Black River (26-page Final Report)

2021 - Fisheries Resources of the Waccamaw River (25-page Final Report)

2021 - Fisheries Resources of the Cape Fear River (26-page Final Report)

2021 - Fisheries Resources of the Lumber River (21-page Final Report)

2021 - Cape Fear River Anadromous Fish Stock Assessment, 2019 (23-page Final Report)

2021 - Assessment of Tar River Catfish Populations, 2020 (16-page Final Report)

2021 - Alewife and Blueback Herring in the Chowan River, 2012–2019 (30-page Final Report)

2021- 2020 Sport Fish Survey of the Neuse River, 2020 (15-page Final Report)

2021 - Neuse River American Shad Survey, 2019–2020 (9-page Final Report)

2021 - Neuse River Striped Bass Monitoring Programs, 2018–2019 (21-page Final Report)

2021 - Roanoke River Striped Bass Spawning Stock Assessment, 2019 (8-page Final Report)

2021 - Survey Summary of River Herring in Neuse River Basin, 2020 (6-page Final Report) 

2021 - Newport River Sportfish Community Survey, 2020  (5-page Final Report) 

2020 - River Herring Monitoring in Tributaries of the Cape Fear River, North Carolina, 2018–2020 (15-page Final Report)

2020 - Population characteristics of Largemouth Bass in the Roanoke and Cashie rivers, 2018–2019 (18-page Final Report)

2020 - Tar River Sport Fish Community Survey - 2019 (7-page Final Report) 

2020- Addressing an 18-year Largemouth Bass trophy regulation at Lake Phelps (20-page Final Report) 

2020 - Public Mountain Trout Water Angler Survey: Exploring characteristics of recreational trout anglers and attitudes toward reduction of regulatory stream classifications (96-page Report)

2019 - Neuse River American Shad monitoring program, 2016–2018 (18-page Final Report)

2019 - N.C. Catfish Management Plan (71-page Final Plan) 

2018 - Roanoke River Striped Bass Spring Electrofishing (27-page Final Report)

2017 - Exploring Casual Factors of Striped Bass Spawning Stock Mortality in the Neuse River  (23-page Survey Report)

2016 - Characteristics of Recreationally Important Fish Populations of the White Oak River  (11-page Survey Report)

2015 - Assessment of Largemouth Bass and Pumpkinseed at Lake Phelps, 2013-2014  (13-page Final Report)

2015 - Cape Fear River American Shad Survey (18-page Final Report) 

2015- Neuse River American Shad Survey (24-page Final Report) 

2015- Roanoke River American Shad Survey (20-page Final Report) 

2015 - Tar River American Shad Survey (11-page Final Report)

2015 - Roanoke River Striped Bass Creel Survey (22-page Final Report)

2015 - Roanoke River Striped Bass Spring Electrofishing  (22-page Final Report)

2015 - Trout Anglers' Participation in and Opinions on Trout Fishing in North Carolina (197-page Final Report)

2015 - North Carolina Landowners' Attitudes Toward Trout Fishing Access (101-page Final Report)

2015 - Mountain Trout Fishing: Economic Impacts on and Contributions to North Carolina's Economy (59-page Final Report)

2014 - Survey Report on Largemouth Bass and Sunfish in Neuse, Trent, and Pungo Rivers (22-page Final Report)

2014 - Chowan River Largemouth Bass Response following Hurricane Irene (17-page Final Report)

2014 - Sutton Lake Largemouth Bass Survey 2010-2013 (13-page Final Report)

2014 - Lake Mattamuskeet Sport Fish Survey (27-page Final Report)

2014 - Assessment of Neuse River Catfish Populations (13-page Final Report)

2014 - North Carolina American Shad Habitat Plan (26-page Final Report)

2014 -  Cape Fear River Striped Bass Survey (28-page Final Report)

2014 -  Neuse River Striped Bass Monitoring Programs, Population Dynamics, Recovery Strategies (47-page Final Report)

2014 -  Tar River Striped Bass Fisheries and Monitoring Programs (20-page Final Report)

Related Links

Fisheries Summary Fact Sheets - one-page summaries of past and ongoing research studies, monitoring surveys, etc., conducted by Commission staff on sport fish in NC. Also information on fishing access and general fisheries management.

Other Fish Publications 

Fishes of North Carolina - information on many fish species found in North Carolina

Survey Sampling Technique