Stock Status - Viable- Mean catch per unit effort of juveniles in the Pamlico Sound was higher than the 10-year average in 2005. Commercial landings in 2005 were impacted by a decrease in effort in the gill net fishery. Spot is the primary coastal catch, by number, for recreational fishermen in North Carolina.

Average Commercial Landings/Value 1996-2005 - 2,375,914 lbs./$1,029,010

2005 Commercial Landings and Value - 1,713,846 lbs./$904,678

Average Recreational Landings 1996-2005 - 1,161,557 lbs., 2005 - 1,098,788 lbs.

Average Number of Award Citations (1 lb.) 1996-2005 – 73, 2005 - 81

Average Recreational Commercial Gear License (RCGL) Landings 2002-2005 - 260,315, 2005 - 193,769

Status of Fishery Management Plan (FMP) - In North Carolina, spot is currently included in the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Management Plan, which defers to Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) FMP compliance requirements. An ASMFC Spot FMP was initially approved in 1987. Management measures were reviewed in 2005 by the ASMFC scientific and statistical committee. In the review, the committee prioritized research and management recommendations.

Research and Data Needs - Coastwide stock assessment analysis, migration studies (tagging), maturity and fecundity studies.

Current Regulations (2006) - None

Harvest Season - year round

Size and Age at Maturity - 7-8 inches/2–3 years

Historical and Current Maximum Age - 5 years

Juvenile Abundance Index 1996-2005 – 276, 2005 - 345 (validated)

Habits/Habitats - Spot are short-lived estuarine dependent members of the drum family, that include Atlantic croaker, red drum, black drum, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Spot spawn in the ocean from late fall to early spring. Wind and currents carry the young into the upper reaches of the estuaries, where they remain throughout the spring. Adult spot migrate seasonally between estuarine and near-shore ocean waters, but are seldom found in the upper reaches of the estuary. Spot are most susceptible to commercial and recreational fishing activity during the fall when schools migrate from estuarine to ocean waters.