The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has rescinded and cancelled all Special Use and L15 permits required to host fishing tournaments in the state of North Carolina. This suspension and cancellation was put in place in March of 2020. The current order is in effect until May 31, 2020.

While we acknowledge stopping the spread of COVID-19 is imperative, we feel by practicing social distancing and using common-sense, anglers can safely participate in these outdoor events. 

We feel outdoor activities such as fishing should be considered essential as they provide physical, mental and emotional relief from the current rigors of society.

We would like our Special Use and L15 permits reinstated and guidelines put into effect to promote and require social distancing. An example of some of these guidelines are as follows:

• No groups of 10 or more people congregating in a specific area.
• Only 1 boat may enter the ramp area at a time to launch their vessel.
• Only 2 anglers are allow in a vessel at any given time.
• Staggered weigh-in times to allow anglers to enter and exit the boat ramps in groups of 10 or less.
• No exchange of cash, checks or other monetary items by hand during fishing tournaments.
• All cash prizes must be awarded digitally.
• All anglers are required to practice good hygiene by using hand sanitizer which should be made available by event coordinators.
• Any angler that has symptoms related to COVID-19 are not allow to participate in an event