Save Our Sounds

Your support is urgently needed to advocate for the banning of destructive inshore shrimp trawling in North Carolina. Every voice counts in the fight to protect our coastal waters and the wildlife within them. 

North Carolina is the only state on the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast that still permits inshore shrimp trawling in spawning waters, which is particularly lethal for juvenile fish. This practice is not only outdated but also highly destructive. Inshore shrimp trawling is responsible for significant bycatch – unintentionally catching and killing numerous species, including juvenile fish, crabs, and other marine life that are vital to the health of our coastal ecosystems.

Inshore shrimp trawling is responsible for hundreds of millions of fish bycatch in North Carolina annually. For every pound of shrimp harvested in N.C.’s juvenile fish spawning waters, four pounds of fish and marine life bycatch is caught and wasted, before any of those fish can reproduce. 

North Carolina Wildlife Federation fully supports safe and responsible fishing practices in North Carolina. Sustainable fishing ensures the lasting value of North Carolina’s marine resources without compromising the health of their ecosystems for years to come. As a community, we can ensure a healthy and sustainable future for North Carolina’s marine life. But we have to act now. Contact your legislator today! 

Act now and message your representative to join every other Atlantic and Gulf Coast state in ending inshore trawling and save our sounds.