LivewellFish consumption advisories
North Carolina
North Carolina publishes advisories for 34 waters, covering 161 species-and-size recommendations.
Contaminants of concern: Arsenic, Hexavalent chromium, Dioxins, Mercury, PCBs, PFOS
Statewide advisory
These apply across North Carolina, including waters with no specific advisory of their own.
- Black Crappie Everyone else Limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Black Crappie Women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15 For women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Bowfin Everyone else Limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Bowfin Women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15 For women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Chain Pickerel Everyone else Limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Chain Pickerel Women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15 For women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Channel Catfish Everyone else Limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Channel Catfish Women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15 For women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Largemouth Bass Everyone else Limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Largemouth Bass Women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15 For women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Walleye Everyone else Limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Walleye Women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15 For women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Warmouth Everyone else Limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Warmouth Women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15 For women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Yellow Perch Everyone else Limit to one meal per week due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
- Yellow Perch Women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15 For women of childbearing age, pregnant or nursing women, and children under 15: do not eat due to elevated Mercury. Statewide mercury advisory
Waters with advisories in North Carolina
34 waters on file. A water not listed here has no advisory in the state's data — which usually means it has never been sampled, not that it's been cleared.
Coastals 1
- Albemarle Sound Bertie
Lakes 12
- Badin Lake Montgomery
- Chatuge Lake Clay
- Fontana Lake Graham
- High Rock Lake Davidson
- Lake Crabtree Wake
- Lake Gaston Halifax
- Lake Norman Catawba
- Lake Santeetlah Graham
- Lake Tillery Montgomery
- Lake Wylie Gaston
- Mountain Island Lake Gaston
- Nantahala Lake Macon
Reservoirs 2
- Falls Reservoir Montgomery
- Glenville Reservoir Jackson
Rivers 19
- Brier Creek Wake
- Brunswick River-Cape Fear Brunswick
- Brunswick River-Site 1 of 2
- Burnt Mill Creek New Hanover
- Cape Fear River 1 Bladen
- Cape Fear River 2 Brunswick
- Cape Fear River 3 Brunswick
- Crabtree Creek Wake
- Dan River Caswell
- Davis Creek Brunswick
- Little Brier Creek Wake
- Neuse River Wake
- Northeast Cape Fear River
- Roanoke River Bertie
- Rocky Branch Wake
- Sturgeon Creek Brunswick
- Walnut Creek Wake
- Welch Creek Beaufort
- Yadkin-Pee Dee River System Davidson
Browse North Carolina by county
Every named water in the state, county by county — including the many with no advisory on file.
- Alamance
- Alexander
- Alleghany
- Anson
- Ashe
- Avery
- Beaufort 1
- Bertie 2
- Bladen 1
- Brunswick 5
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Cabarrus
- Caldwell
- Camden
- Carteret
- Caswell 1
- Catawba 1
- Chatham
- Cherokee
- Chowan
- Clay 1
- Cleveland
- Cocke
- Columbus
- Craven
- Cumberland
- Currituck
- Dare
- Davidson 2
- Davie
- Duplin
- Durham
- Edgecombe
- Forsyth
- Franklin
- Gaston 2
- Gates
- Graham 2
- Granville
- Greene
- Guilford
- Halifax 1
- Harnett
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Hertford
- Hoke
- Horry
- Hyde
- Iredell
- Jackson 1
- Johnston
- Jones
- Knox
- Lee
- Lenoir
- Lincoln
- Macon 1
- Madison
- Martin
- McDowell
- Mecklenburg
- Meigs
- Mitchell
- Montgomery 3
- Moore
- Nash
- New Hanover 1
- Northampton
- Onslow
- Orange
- Pamlico
- Pasquotank
- Pender
- Perquimans
- Person
- Pitt
- Polk
- Rabun
- Randolph
- Richmond
- Robeson
- Rockingham
- Rowan
- Rutherford
- Sampson
- Scotland
- Stanly
- Stokes
- Surry
- Swain
- Transylvania
- Tyrrell
- Union
- Vance
- Wake 7
- Warren
- Washington
- Watauga
- Wayne
- Wilkes
- Wilson
- Yadkin
- Yancey
North Carolina statewide fishing limits
Statewide defaults — specific waters and zones may differ. Verify the current rules before keeping a fish.
| Species | Size | Daily limit | Open season | Keep season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Largemouth Bass | 14" min | 5 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Muskellunge | 30" min | 1 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Walleye | — | 8 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Black Crappie | — | 20 | Year-round | Same as open |
| Channel Catfish | — | — | Year-round | Same as open |
Official rules: North Carolina — North Carolina WRC